Kapitel von die Schwan
by Vic Powell
Summary: AhiruxFakir RuexMytho When Ahiru begins losing her golden feathers, what is Fakir to do when he finds a girl on top of him! And how are they going to explain it to everyone else! And what is with that shop keeper, watching from behind...?
1. Chapter 1

2012 Update: So I'm going through the chapters, slowly, and fixing the grammar, adding smidgeons of sentences here and there, just trying to update it so it's better. Any updated chapter will have "2012 A/N:" at the bottom and will just ramble about grammar. Or a part I like or something. Thank you so much to the people who still read this story, that's half the reason I'm updating it! ...I'm too embarrassed at how it turned out grammar-wise... Also, I re-read the whole story today and will admit, it is fairly dry until the last few chapters. I do like how it ends though!

And so, a man began to write a story. And that story, overflowing with hope, had just begun.

Fakir stood at the window, staring out at Kinkan town at night and sighing. It had been three years since he had helped Mytho to defeat the monster raven, Rue became the prince's princess, Fakir had chosen the path of the writer, and Ahiru had turned back in to a duck permanently.

But shortly after Ahiru and Fakir began their new life together, her feathers that were once gold began to turn the most pure white, the golden down-feeling feathers drifting slowly from her body. Fakir noticed this one day and pointed it out to the duck, who began quacking in the most annoying way and running around excitedly.

"I'm turning in to a beautiful swan!" she cried, but Fakir could only hear a bunch of quacking. Sometimes, when he was drifting off to sleep, he would hear Ahiru talking to him. Sometimes he saw her. She was always beautiful, but things were changing as time went by. She developed a bit of womanly curve in her body, not that he was looking too hard, and her hair was turning the most appealing shade of rose pink. Her eyes, whether a swan, duck, or girl, were always as blue as the sky, full of hope that never ran out, and her freckles were disappearing. She was growing a bit taller, and to Fakir, she was turning in to the most perfect woman. And her voice had changed as well. No longer high pitched and squeaky, it began to sound similar to silk if it could give voice, and entranced Fakir each time he heard it whispering his name.

He was awake now because he had heard Ahiru again. Fakir had changed too. He was taller, with broader shoulders, longer hair, and softer eyes. But only for Ahiru. He rarely went to the Academy, unless it was to give a special lesson. He remembered Mr. Cat, and ironically, the cat remembered him too, for it stopped by his house often, so much that Fakir had gained Mr. Cat, Mrs. Cat, and their kittens as part of their growing family. Mr. Cat seemed to remember Ahiru as well and generally the whole family of furry animals gathered around the blooming duck to sleep.

"Ahiru," Fakir mumbled. The duck was sleeping in the basket with all the cats, as was becoming normal, but she was the strangest thing. Mostly white, but there were still three feathers that were a lovely gold. Fakir had been collecting the feathers, placing them in a jar. Why, he didn't even know, nor did Ahiru, but it was sweet to think of anyway.

After getting himself a glass of water, Fakir went to sleep, picking up a kitten from his pillow and resting his head in its place instead, allowing the small creature to curl up under his chin. "Maybe tomorrow," he thought to himself, before falling in to a lovely sleep, dreaming of Ahiru turning into a girl again.

"Fakir!"

"Nnn, is it morning...?"

"Fakir!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep!"

"FAKIR!"

Slowly, Fakir opened his eyes. Ahiru stared at him, dressed in his shirt that came down to her knees, her soft pink hair loose around her knees. "FakirIturnedbackintoagirlisn 'tthatgreatwellwellwelldon'tyouthinkso?" The young woman was speaking very quickly, and Fakir just stared. He stared and stared until it finally clicked in the back of his mind.

"Ahiru! You're a girl again!" Fakir leaped up and wrapped his arms around Ahiru, hugging her tightly. When Ahiru didn't say anything Fakir looked up at her and saw that she was blushing quite an embarrassed shade.

"Oh-" He let Ahiru go and she fell on his bed, blushing and giggling. The cats that she normally slept with came over to join them and after sniffing Ahiru thoroughly, accepted she was still Ahiru and began to nuzzle against her ankles.

"Fakir, isn't it great!" Ahiru smiled up at the man and he blushed, having to look away from her quickly. She really had grown in to a beautiful woman, but why? Slowly he looked down at the basket Ahiru slept in. There were three golden feathers resting in it. Looking a bit surprised, Fakir went and picked them up before going over to the jar full of Ahiru's feathers and placing them in the glass container. Then he went back to Ahiru and smiled down at her before pulling her on to her feet.

"Come on Ahiru. You can't wear my clothes all day. I'll take you shopping." Fakir gave Ahiru some clothes of his to wear for the moment, but then grabbed a small satchel of gold and tied it around his waist. Soon the two walked out of the house together, with the cat family following them lazily, towards the shopping district.

"Shopping? But why Fakir? I don't think I need to go-" Ahiru stopped. There were her friends Pike and Lilie, both on the arms of handsome, tall men. Lilie looked more grown up, and had let her hair grow out, styling it so it was in two braids instead of her other hairstyle of having it on either side of her head. Pike had let hers grow as well, but then cut it so it was short in the back, but long in the front. Both were wearing Academy clothes, but they were different. They showed off the girls' bodies more, they looked more graceful and serious than they had in the past. But when they spotted Fakir, they bolted over to him.

"Fakir, hey Fakir, who's your girlfriend?" Lilie was of course the one to ask this. Pike just smacked her forehead and sighed.

"M-my what?" Fakir blushed quite a shade, as did Ahiru, who was sort of hiding behind him, not sure what to do in this situation.

"Girlfriend. Girl you are dating and love and plan on marrying," Lilie continued, giggling at Ahiru. "Come on now miss, don't be shy, tell us your name!"

"My.. my name? My name is Ahiru," she said softly, gently holding on to Fakir's arm. Pike and Lilie stared at her for a long time, before tilting their heads.

"Ahiru? Ahi.." Pike got it first, eyes widening. "Ahiru! But you moved! I didn't know you came back! And to Fakir! Naughty girl!"

Lilie perked up before grabbing Ahiru and spinning her around. "Oh Ahiru, you ended up with Fakir instead of Mytho! Rue got him and they went to a different academy together!" Lilie was positively glowing. "But they'll be back to put on a special show tomorrow! I can't wait for you to see it! And since Fakir is a special teacher at the academy, he is of course invited, so you will be too as his D-A-T-E!"

Lilie continued to gush for a bit before Ahiru went back to hiding behind Fakir, still shy about everything that was going on.

Fakir smiled down at Ahiru, then gently patted her on the head. Lilie and Pike both saw this then made little noises in the backs of their throats, pointing at the two.

"Fakir! Fakir we saw that! You love Ahiru!" They were in sync on the shrieking, then ran back to their boyfriends, dragging them away and talking loudly about how sweet Fakir and Ahiru looked.

Fakir stared down at Ahiru. "Shall we go shopping then?" He sounded a bit embarrassed, and Ahiru nodded, smiling shyly.

"Yes Fakir!"

Slowly, Fakir led the way in to the marketplace.

2012 A/N: Just updating the chapters, fixing grammar, etc. Nothing too major should be changing. I just thought it was about time I went over this story since it actually seems to be well-liked.


	2. Chapter 2

"The marketplace is a scary thing," Ahiru finally remarked as Fakir led her around, holding on to her wrist gently. "I mean, with so many people, and so little space-"

Ahiru was stopped when Fakir paused outside of a clothing store. There, in the display window, was a beautiful prima donna's tutu and her partner's clothes on mannequins. Ahiru and Fakir stared at them for a long time before the shop keeper came out and giggled. "Are you interested in ballet?" She spoke with a soft, chirping voice, and Ahiru looked up.

"Edel-sa-" she stopped, blinking. A woman with emerald hair flowing down her shoulders in soft waves and a very well developed body stood in the shop door, smiling at the two outside of her shop. Her gold eyes took in Ahiru and Fakir, every detail from their hair down to their entwined fingers.

"Oh, lovers perhaps?" Fakir stared down at his hand, which had moved without him noticing to lace with Ahiru's fingers. He jumped and then let go of her hand, blushing a dark shade. "Oh, new lovers!"

Ahiru began to blush too, eyes widening. "No, no no no!" She began to make funny gestures. "Fakir isn't my lover he isn't my anything isn't that right Fakir of course that's right what else could it be Fakir couldn't love me if he loved me that'd mean that I was his girlfriend and of course I can't be-" by this time, Fakir had clamped his hand over Ahiru's mouth, an angry expression on his face.

"Shut up."

The store owner smiled at the two, tilting her head to the side as she stared at Ahiru and Fakir. "Perhaps you two would wear the outfits and dance a pas de deux for me?"

Fakir glared at the store owner while Ahiru looked excited. Fakir muttered something and pulled Ahiru away. When far enough away, he let Ahiru's mouth go, sighing and leaning against a tree.

"Hey Fakir why'd you do that! She was only being nice!" Ahiru glared at her companion, who sighed and slid his fingers through his hair.

"Couldn't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"She is from the story."

"The story?"

"Yes, another one of Drosselmeyer's stories."

Ahiru thought for a bit, then shook her head. "No way Fakir, Drosselmeyer is dead, we took care of what was writing for the town! There's no possible way that she is from the story!"

Fakir smiled at Ahiru. She was so innocent. He took her hand, then spun her around, placing one hand upon her waist, holding on to the other. Ahiru, acting on instinct, took a pose and danced a little with Fakir. When the moment passed and he let her go, people began to clap.

"Wooo, that was so cute! Dance some more!"

Ahiru stared at the people who were watching. It seemed they had gathered a small crowd.

"Ah-ah-" Ahiru seemed as if she was going to say something, but Fakir grabbed her around the waist, hoisted her up over his shoulder, and ran off to the lake, his face bright red. The lake was actually a good distance away, and when Fakir finally set Ahiru down, he held on to her waist. The two stared in to each other's eyes, both blushing.

"That was embarrassing," Fakir muttered. Ahiru nodded. Neither moved from the position they were in, Fakir's hands upon Ahiru's hips, her hands upon his upper arms. The lake was still, and they stayed staring at each other for a long time, the romantic setting holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

Ahiru's mind spun round and round as she realized many things at once. 'Fakir never took a girlfriend, never brought anyone in to the house, never left me alone, always protected me, even danced a pas de deux with me. He is holding me now, staring at me, his eyes are so beautiful and kind, and he's smiling! He's so handsome, my heart has never, never, NEVER moved so quickly as it is right now! What do I do, if I move he may become angry, if I stay like this something weird might happen!'

Alas, Fakir was also thinking along those lines in his head.

'Huh, she's so beautiful, when did she become so lovely? In my dreams of course, what am I thinking? But she would never want to be with me, she can have any man she wants now that she's a human, right? She can dance beautifully and I bet she doesn't even know it. Where are my hands? Ach, they're on her body! Does she think I'm a pervert? Oh man..'

This went on for a couple minutes, until finally there was a sound from the bushes. A giggling sound, to be precise.

"I sawwww.. I sawwww!" Suddenly there was a rustling and the voice was gone. It broke the spell and Fakir moved away from Ahiru. She blinked, then blushed, looking down at her feet.

"Was that Lilie...?"

Fakir was blushing again and Ahiru sighed. She felt terrible because Fakir looked upset and she hugged him tightly without thinking, practically clinging to his body. Fakir inhaled sharply, clutching Ahiru in turn, and the two stood there for a moment before Ahiru jumped back and made funny sounds.

Fakir smiled warmly before taking Ahiru's hand and leading her back to the marketplace. Pike and Lilie were there, giggling and staring at the pair with knowing eyes.

Their boyfriends were kind of staring at the two of them as well. They both wore Academy uniforms and both were very tall. Pike started to talk first.

"Ahiru! This is my boyfriend Jaques. He's my dance partner as well!" Pike hugged on to the arm of the tall, raven haired man. He was beautiful, in a cold way. He seemed like the strong silent type.

'He reminds me of Fakir when I first met him' Ahiru thought. She looked at Lilie's boyfriend, who was, no doubt, Autor. Fakir just stared at Lilie and Autor, as did Ahiru. Then the two looked at each other before they started laughing softly.

"They match perfectly," Ahiru muttered. Fakir nodded in return. The two were standing next to each other, with Ahiru leaning close to Fakir, their fingers brushing often.

"Oh yeah, Ahiru, what are you doing here?" Pike smiled. "At the marketplace."

Ahiru looked up at Fakir, and he coughed a bit. "We were.. clothes shopping," he finally muttered. Lilie and Pike grabbed Ahiru, eye's shining, and dragged her in to the nearest shop.

"SEE YOU LATER!" the kidnapper's called to the three guys.

"... So... When did you find Lilie attractive, Autor?" Fakir asked innocently, giving the boy a small smirk and sidelong glance. The music major blushed and muttered, "Shut up Fakir."

In the shop, Lilie and Pike were throwing clothes at Ahiru, who was quickly buried. "Try them on!" they both cried. Ahiru slowly went in to the dressing room and tried on outfit after outfit. For some reason, Ahiru felt as if she was just their doll they were using to keep amused with.

But when they put her in a prima donna's ballet costume and did her hair up, they paid for the outfit and shoved her outside, right in to Fakir's waiting arms.

Okay, maybe not so waiting. More like surprised. But he was there, and he caught her, off guard from her tripping and the flash of fancy clothes he saw on her.

"Dance for us!" Pike called.

"Yes, dance!" Lilie also called.

They threw an outfit at Fakir, a matching outfit for Ahiru. Just a coat really, but it really made him look all that different.

Ahiru and Fakir stared at each other, blushing a terrible shade. "Should we...?" Ahiru asked. Fakir swallowed and stared down at her. Did he want to dance with Ahiru again?

2012 A/N: Just doing some grammar updates and such, it's been so long since I wrote this! I still love Princess Tutu and want to draw them from this story. Probably will sometime.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't be ridiculous. We can't dance for you," Fakir murmured before grabbing Ahiru's wrist. But Lilie stopped him dead with a look of pure menace in her eyes, her hair moving like Medusa's serpentine curls.

"I said dance for us!"

Fakir began to form a drop of sweat on the back of his head, then slowly he nodded, not sure how to tell the determined girl no. So he sighed, then placed his hands upon Ahiru's waist, and she bent downwards towards the ground. And then she moved back up, body pressing lightly against Fakir's, both their arms outstretched. Pike and Lilie watched, both leaning upon their men, both sighing as they watched their friends together.

"They really are sweet," Someone in the crowd said.

"I wonder if they go to the academy?"

"Is this a school display?"

Fakir bent Ahiru backwards and her leg gracefully lifted as he dipped her low to the ground, giving off a warm, happy feeling that made the watchers all gush with love. Ahiru was graceful and sweet, which inspired a strong emotion of hope in the onlookers, and when Fakir threw Ahiru in to the air, her arms spread out like that of a bird's, every one thought they saw a swan as she floated down from the sky to the waiting arms of Fakir.

The clapping was tremendous. Ahiru and Fakir stood there, flustered, before they bowed. Once, twice, three times. Lilie and Pike began to giggle and Ahiru blushed, leaning just a bit towards Fakir as she mumbled softly, "I'm so embarrassed."

Fakir looked slightly surprised, then took Ahiru into the clothing shop. The owner had seen the two dancing and insisted on giving them new clothes because she was so moved. There were heaps of them and slowly they were folded and put in to boxes. All sorts of colors and shades, dresses, skirts, shoes, ribbons, everything Ahiru would need was in there. And for Fakir, suits, ties, blazers, pants, button downs, cuffs, he would never have to go shopping again.

After that, the shop keeper told them to go to the barber. They had to look fabulous if they were going to the show tomorrow.

Slowly they staggered over and the barber took a look at Fakir, then a look at Ahiru, and finally he smiled. He began to cut Fakir's hair, styling it and taking good care of it. When done, Fakir's hair was shiny, sleek, and tied at the nape of his neck with a black silk ribbon. For Ahiru, he tied her hair up high upon her head, curled it loosely, and let it fall down to her waist in gentle curls, pinning tiny red stones in to the tendrils.

Fakir stared at Ahiru, then looked away, blushing. Ahiru smiled, taking Fakir's hand as he protested, and they began to walk home together, fingers entwined with each other's as they mused on the days of old.

"I remember when I first saw you dance, Ahiru," Fakir muttered.

Ahiru looked up at Fakir, tilting her head. "Really? When was that?"

"You were dancing with Rue. You were so nervous, but when she lifted you, there was an expression of such joy on your face, I think my heart stopped for a beat." Fakir was looking to the side, blushing, and Ahiru smiled before she began to giggle.

"I remember that," she said, "You were the first one to clap for us. Even though it was slow and you looked mad..."

Fakir smiled down at Ahiru. So she did remember. Slowly, Fakir led her to a lake that had a small waterfall at one end. Ahiru stared at it and then saw the log that passed over a small part of the lake like a bridge. Fakir set their packages down and then pulled Ahiru onto the sturdy log. They stood at the highest point together and Fakir took Ahiru's hand, pulling it above her head and spinning her. Once, twice, three times she turned before he stopped her, placing his fingertips under her jaw, tilting her head upwards. Slightly parted lips met and two sets of eyes closed as his hands slid down her sides to her waist, and her hands moved upwards to his neck.

After a moment Fakir pulled away and swallowed. Both Ahiru and Fakir were blushing and both looked so pleased with the kiss.

"Ahiru," Fakir murmured, dipping his head down for another kiss. Ahiru complied fully, and kiss after kiss was shared there on the log bridge, one melting into another, until finally Fakir realized that they needed to get home. He brought Ahiru down from the log and held on to her hand tightly this time.

When the two lovebirds arrived home, Ahiru looked around, then tilted her head before something dawned on her.

"Fakir, where will I be sleeping?"

Fakir looked around at the small house they lived in, opened his mouth several times, then closed it, blushing. This was bad. Oh so very bad. He cleared his throat several times, then finally, as if he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before, said, "Well, you'll be sleeping on the bed of course."

"So then where will you be sleeping?"

"On the b-... Er, floor. In the kitchen. Where I won't be a bother to you."

Ahiru looked upset at that, and Fakir blushed before he looked away. He couldn't tell Ahiru that if she wanted he could sleep in the bed with her. That was just wrong. So very wrong. So he kissed her upon the forehead, took a blanket and pillow from the many on his bed, and went in to the kitchen to sleep.

Ahiru went in to Fakir's bed, where now all the cats were curled up in one place or another, and Ahiru maneuvered her body around all of them, then fell asleep. For tomorrow was going to be a busier day, she would finally see Rue and Mytho again!

2012 A/N: Just updating the story a bit, the grammar makes me cry. I was so young, so stupid...


	4. Chapter 4

When morning came, Ahiru woke up with the sun and went to the kitchen. "Hm, I wanted to make Fakir breakfast, but I guess I can't if he's sleeping. Hmmm, I guess he wouldn't want me to make it anyway because I'd probably make a big mess and the food wouldn't be so good either." Ahiru sighed, then leaned against the door frame and watched Fakir sleep. "He's so innocent when he's sleeping," she thought, then went to go get the milk that was on the doorstep, changing it for an empty bottle, her mind floating back to yesterday as her cheeks heated up, not noticing until the full bottle slipped from her hands.

"Oh!"

A hand reached under hers and caught the bottle, a sigh escaping from behind her. Ahiru turned a bit to see Fakir standing there, looking tired and slightly annoyed.

"You talk loudly when you're in the kitchen," he murmured, then shuffled back inside, setting the milk on the table. "You need to get dressed; we're going to see the ballet today." Ahiru nodded, then went upstairs to pick out an outfit to wear.

She had so many clothes now and a couple pieces of jewelry, so deciding was going to take a while. She went through all the dresses and skirts, then finally decided on one to wear. It was a pale blue skirt that came down to her ankles, with a couple of panniers underneath to make it flow out. She put a black belt around her waist and a white blouse that came off her shoulders and was tucked into the belt and skirt, causing her body to look curvy and pleasing to the eye. She looked at the rubies, but decided to tie ribbons into her hair of a gentle blue color. For her shoes she chose black ones that looked a lot like her old uniform shoes and pulled white stockings on. When she was done, she fastened a silver necklace with a sapphire teardrop pendant around her neck, then went to see Fakir.

Fakir had just finished putting on a navy suit with a light blue button down shirt and a dark blue tie, his shoes black and his hair tied at the nape of his neck again. He blushed when he saw Ahiru and swallowed, thinking she looked gorgeous. He held out his hand to her and she took it, smiling warmly up at him, which he returned after a moment. "Shall we go?"

"Yes!" Ahiru and Fakir walked out of their house together, then down the street. The performance they were going to see was an outdoors one at Kinkan academy on their main lawn. Fakir held his invitation for a moment before slipping it into his coat pocket, making sure he had it. Ahiru looked around and saw Pike and Lilie pop up every now and again, mostly in the bushes with glinting eyes. She sighed, realizing her friends would never change. She then saw their boyfriends stumbling behind them and heard the loud shushing sounds that came from the girls. She bit back a laugh, feeling a bit bad for the boys.

At the academy many students and visitors were entering, twittering about how excited they were to see Rue and Mytho dance. Ahiru and Fakir had seats in the front row with the other special guests, and for a half hour or so they waited for the performance to begin, shyly sneaking glances at one another while those around them talked about the prince and princess.

When the performance did begin, there were shows from the academy, special guests, and even a small raffle. Then the true show began, and Rue and Mytho stepped onto the stage to thunderous applause.

Rue was gorgeous. She had grown slightly taller, her body filling out to a decent size, with a large bust and hips, slender waist, and long legs. Her hair was much longer, but she had it tied into a tight braid and wound about her head, so it was hard to see just how long it was. Her outfit for today was a white tutu with silver ribbon on it, her shoes glittering silver as the laces traveled all the way to her knees. Mytho had grown taller and more muscular, letting his hair grow a bit and fixing it so it looked more feathery. His eyes were full of emotions, and every time he looked at Rue the love showed through brightly. He was dressed in white and silver too, with a short coat on, long pants, and matching shoes. The two stepped onto the stage together, bowing before Rue spotted Ahiru and Fakir. She smiled brightly and tugged on Mytho's sleeve, and the two waved to their friends and suddenly went to stand right in front of them. "Come join us!"

Ahiru and Fakir froze, feeling all the eyes of the audience on them. What were they supposed to do? They loved Rue and Mytho so much, but dance? Soon though, voices could be heard from the crowd.

"Is that Mr. Fakir?"

"His dance partner must be talented!"

"Dance for us!"

"Please dance Mr. Fakir!"

Ahiru heard a few things about her, mostly from Pike and Lilie, and the two just sat there until Rue jumped off the stage, grabbed Ahiru's wrist, and dragged her up. Ahiru tried to protest the whole time, but Rue just stood her up and smiled. Mytho jumped down as well and sort of dragged, then pushed Fakir up. They stood so Rue was to the right, then Ahiru, then Fakir, and Mytho last on the left. Fakir and Ahiru looked horribly embarrassed as they turned to their same-gender friends and asked, "What show are we doing?" at the same time. Rue looked Ahiru over, and Mytho did the same to Fakir, before they both replied, "The Prince and the Pauper, double love version."

Ahiru felt a drop of sweat forming at the back of her head. Rue was certainly in sync with Mytho, but that title just sounded so.. strange.

"I'll explain quickly," Rue said, watching the audience wait eagerly for what was going to happen. "I, Rue, will play the princess from one castle, and Mytho will play the prince from another. You, Ahiru, will play the pauper who switches places with the princess when the princess tires of the Prince's advances on her. You, Fakir, will play the prince when the prince realizes his princess is not who she should be, and goes to look for her. While Mytho looks for me, Ahiru and Fakir must try and act like the prince and princess would. While Ahiru is trying to turn Fakir away and Fakir is trying to gain Ahiru's love, you two are forming deep affections for each other. When Mytho finds me and dances with me while we are both paupers, we fall in love. In the end, you two get married and we get married, and we all live in one castle." Rue smiled. It was simple. To her anyway. Mytho was still trying to remember that while Ahiru and Fakir were trying to think how Rue came up with these things.

They had to act like that? In front of other people?

2012 A/N: Just some grammatical updates and such, making things make more sense.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay, so do you have it yet?" Rue smiled sweetly at Ahiru, tugging on her arm gently. Ahiru let out a squeak, then nodded after a long moment.

"Y-yes Rue!" Ahiru stood there looking quite embarrassed. How was she supposed to pull this off? But Rue dragged her backstage quickly and began to tug her clothes this way and that, saying that nothing matched what she should be wearing. Ahiru felt like a doll, but when Rue was done, she was dressed as a peasant with a faded green dress that had patches on it, wildflowers in her hair, and toe shoes on her feet. Rue nodded, then went to go inspect what Mytho and Fakir were doing.

Fakir was halfway undressed, struggling with Mytho and arguing he could do it himself. Mytho looked like he was having fun, and Rue sat watching for a moment. Ahiru peeked under her arm to look as well and blushed, letting out a giggle. Seeing Ahiru, Fakir blushed as well and let go of Mytho, the happy friend pouncing on the male and undressing him more. Embarrassed, Rue and Ahiru went back to the stage and tried to quell the audience, performing an introduction to the ballet. It started with Ahiru alone and in the [fake] cold, shivering and holding her arms. Rue danced on stage, lifting her left leg up as high as she could before she stepped down next to the poor pauper and offered her hand. Ahiru took it, and Rue pulled her up and into a dance.

"I feel like I used to at school," Ahiru thought, thinking she was being very clumsy as Rue led the dance. Someone behind the stage made a "psst" sound very loudly, and Rue smiled, spinning Ahiru before they fell into a final pose, holding each other's hand and leaning as far away as possible, toe shoes touching as they let their free hands touch the stage. The audience applauded and whistled, and the two girls pranced off stage.

"Alright, during the intermission we'll change clothes, okay?" Rue smiled, and Mytho, Fakir, and Ahiru all sighed. The girl could really be demanding when she wanted. They nodded though, and Rue went out on stage first.

She pranced about, acting like a princess, being fawned over by the other dancers who were playing her ladies in waiting. Then Mytho went out on stage and began to follow Rue around, trying to gain her affections with flowers, jewels, and dancing with her. He would leave the stage, imitating how he was coming back time after time to try to win her love, but each time she turned away and went back to what she was doing. As Mytho became more desperate for her love, Rue began to look sad. There was a dance of the ladies in waiting and Mytho, where he looked like he was trying to convince them to help him, and they all agreed, trying to show Rue what a wonderful man Mytho was. Even the King tried, but Rue simply danced away from them all. Around the time the intermission was to come, Rue danced to the village and was looking for Ahiru.

"That's your part," Fakir hissed into her ear, and Ahiru stumbled out onto the stage, falling flat on her face. There was silence, then Lilie shouted "Oh how cute!" and Pike applauded. Ahiru stood, and everyone else began to applaud gently for her, wondering who the clumsy girl was.

Rue took a step back, staring at the pauper. Ahiru looked up at the princess, then smiled warmly, offering her hand as she stood. She began to dance, and although she was not dressed as beautifully as Rue, she had a certain charm that drew the audience into watching her dance.

Rue took Ahiru's hand and began to lead her back to the castle, taking her ladies in waiting aside and telling them the plan while Ahiru danced alone in a corner. She was then brought over to the ladies and they began to take her off-stage, while Rue donned a cloak and went the other way, back to the village.

It was then time for the intermission, and Ahiru was breathing heavily, wiping her brow and sighing as she looked up at Fakir. He leaned down and gave her head a gentle pat, and the two sat like that for a few moments. Fakir handed Ahiru some juice, and they sat quite close to each other. Rue and Mytho went over to join them, both holding glasses of juice as well.

"Really Ahiru, I didn't know you had come back! Why didn't you tell me?" Rue looked put out and Ahiru began to scramble up and try to hold onto her juice all at once. The result was her tripping again, and Fakir groaned, helping her up.

"I-I-I-I-I'm sorry Rue, I wanted to tell you but it only happened a few days ago and I didn't know how to contact you and I really wanted to see you but I only heard from Pike and Lilie that you would be here and I wanted to see you so badly but I was a duck and I couldn't fly to where you were because Fakir wouldn't have liked that because he's really so lonely and even though Mr. And Mrs. Cat and their children are with us I think he would've still been lonely without me and I know he wanted to see Myt-" Fakir clamped a hand over Ahiru's mouth and she turned a bright shade of pink.

"You two have grown so close," Mytho noted, and the two blushed, causing Mytho and Rue to giggle to themselves. "I've missed you, Fakir." Mytho held his arms open to Fair, and the man slowly let go of Ahiru and embraced his friend.

The four of them talked of many things, and then finally, Fakir said, "After the performance, come back to my place. I think we need to talk about something."

Ahiru looked a bit sad. She knew it was going to be about the shop keeper they had met.

Rue and Ahiru changed clothes with each other and the two went back on stage, Ahiru trying to convince the prince that she was the princess, Rue trying to fit in down at the village. Fakir protected Rue from a robber, and waved a finger disapprovingly at her before he went off stage. Mytho didn't believe Ahiru was the princess and went to the village, running into Fakir when he did. He could feel that Fakir was a good person, and offered him his clothes and made gestures that symbolized his telling of his problems and plans. Fakir nodded, and the two went off stage together. That left Ahiru and Rue to dance alone, but they were on separate sides of the stage. Ahiru was trying to act like the princess, but was doing a very clumsy job, and Rue was trying to act like Ahiru, but couldn't seem to get it right at all. The audience laughed throughout the dance, which was what the girls wanted, and then, it was time for Ahiru and Fakir to dance on the same stage.

Fakir danced in wearing the prince's clothes and tried to show Ahiru affection that he did not truly feel. Ahiru danced away from him, trying to act as Rue had been, thinking Fakir was the true prince. Fakir was not sure if Ahiru knew he was a pauper, but he tried to imitate a prince as best as he could. They danced together and Ahiru began to dance in an affectionate way towards Fakir while the lights dimmed. The scene and music changed to the marketplace, where Rue was running away from an angry store keeper. Mytho went to her aid, and Rue began to run from him, but he caught her hand and pulled her into a dance. The two shared a beautiful dance, and Rue realized that she loved the prince. He bent down on one knee and took her hand, and Rue nodded, looking teary-eyed. The audience could feel the love and those with significant others held hands and sighed. Then, Ahiru and Fakir danced back on the stage, and the two couples shared their dances of love. Finally, Rue and Mytho went back to the castle to find Ahiru and Fakir in a garden, sitting on a bench and holding hands, heads bent together. They saw the people they made switches with and jumped up, but the prince and princess shook their heads, holding hands as well. Ahiru and Fakir clapped their hands together, and all four danced together. Then they departed and let the ladies in waiting dance with the village men, and after, the four were back on the stage, all dressed in beautiful white clothes. The scene ended with the two couples walking down an aisle together, the ladies in waiting and the village men all paired off.

Once over, the audience applauded thunderously. A standing ovation was to be had, and whistles and cheers were given. Ahiru, Fakir, Mytho, and Rue all bowed many times, and had to keep bowing because the audience just wouldn't stop clapping. Off in the distance, Mr. Cat stared out the window with Mrs. Cat beside him, their children lounging on the windowsill as well. Mr. Cat felt happy, but couldn't quite put his paw down on why.

"Oh Ahiru, you were wonderful!" Rue gave her friend a kiss on the cheek, then hugged her tightly. Mytho and Fakir slapped each other on the shoulder, then grinned and waved. All four waved, and the audience slowly stopped applauding. When they got off the stage, both couples were swarmed with people complimenting them, asking questions, and sharing their love of ballet. The four were soon separated, but after ten minutes or so found one another and thanked everyone very prettily. Flowers were given to all, and after changing, the four ducked out to let the festivities continue, walking slowly back to Fakir's house, Fakir on the left, Mytho next to him, Rue next to Mytho, and Ahiru on the right, staring at the sky.

"What's the matter, Ahiru?" Rue sounded a bit concerned for her friend.

"I was just thinking," she began, "how much I really enjoyed today!"

The four friends began to giggle, but at the back of Ahiru and Fakir's minds, they knew they their joy would not last.

2012 A/N: Just grammar and sentence structure updates. While I was re-reading this chapter, I realized there's a line that mentions the village men and the Village People popped into my head, doing the YMCA during a ballet. Hehehe…


	6. Chapter 6

Fakir let everyone into the house, grabbing chairs to set in the living room. Ahiru took a seat on a cushion, only moving to the couch with Rue when Fakir shoo'd her from her seat and took it instead. Mytho took the seat next to Fakir, and Mr. Cat came in to nuzzle up against the new and yet familiar guests.

"Oh my, so he's still around," Rue commented, petting the cat absently. Mr. Cat began to purr and climbed into Rue's lap, enjoying the attention.

"Right. So, as we're all here and we all knew about Drosselmeyer's story before, I feel you all should know that I think another story has started." Fakir didn't toe around the point, and Ahiru giggled softly, finding it kind of cute how he did that. Rue looked over at her and Ahiru smiled, blushing a faint shade and looking down at her lap.

"Another story? What do you mean, Fakir?" Mytho was a bit more focused on the danger that this posed, and the two began to discuss how to go about figuring out who was behind the story.

"If it's Drosselmeyer again he's very crafty, but I don't think it's him, right?" Rue looked up from talking to Ahiru, the two having discussed how she became a girl again.

"It would explain how Ahiru became a girl again," Fakir mumbled, frowning. "If the story ends again, will you be turned back into a duck?"

"Ah? I hope not!" Ahiru pouted, playing with one of the kittens and thinking about if she became a duck again. She didn't want that, she wouldn't be able to talk to Fakir anymore if that happened!

Rue stood up, smiling at Ahiru. "Come on, let's go for a walk. There's a lot we need to talk about." Ahiru nodded and got up, going with Rue outside. Mytho and Fakir stayed in, watching the door close before they began to talk again.

"So, now that we know there might be a new story starting, what have you been up to?" Fakir had kept in contact with Mytho, but there was only so much that could be said through letters and such. It had been far too long since they had seen each other.

"Oh, well, Rue has been thinking of children. So has the rest of the kingdom, actually... They all seem to want an heir to the throne as soon as possible..." Mytho sighed, looking down at his lap and blushing.

"Well, that's a normal thing. You should really make sure that your kingdom has an heir." Fakir smiled, perking a brow. "What's the matter though, do you not want to have a child with Rue?"

"Ah? No, that's not it! I mean, we're so young, there's plenty of time to do that sort of thing..." Mytho sighed, shaking his head slowly, looking flustered.

"Really Mytho, think reasonably. You're married to Rue, you two must have done something by now, right?"

"Well, I mean..."

Fakir smirked, waiting for his friend to say something about their relationship.

Meanwhile, Rue and Ahiru walked down the cobblestone road, the girls having their own conversation amongst themselves.

"Ahiru, what have you and Fakir done so far?"

The pink haired girl blushed a dark shade, flustered as she squeaked and stuttered her way through an answer. "W-well, I mean we've only just met again, in human form I mean, I stayed with him the whole time, didn't leave his side, I think it might've bothered him from time to time though, cause he's so serious and I was just a duck.."

Rue watched Ahiru and smiled, giggling softly. "Not much, then..." Ahiru sighed, looking up at the sky. The two took a seat on the bridge, dangling their feet over the edge and water.

"I've been thinking lately. It's about time Mytho and I had a child." Ahiru stared at Rue, who stared at the water, blushing a dark shade and scowling a bit as she defended her sentence. "I mean, we've been married for a year or so, but we haven't done anything that couples do. Well, we have, but we haven't done anything a husband and wife would do..." Rue sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh, don't give up Rue! Mytho loves you very much, I can tell!" Ahiru smiled widely, and Rue nodded, smiling a bit herself. She knew Mytho loved her, but she didn't know what to do about the shy man.

"Let's... hey.. What's that?" Ahiru stared at the water, looking into the gentle ripples. There was something snagged on a branch in the water. She looked around, then hopped into the water, ignoring Rue's tiny surprised shriek as small droplets landed on her knees, diving down to the bottom of the small waterway.

Ahiru came up with a necklace, blinking and tilting her head. It was egg shaped, white as snow, with fluffy pink looking wings on it. "Oh... how pretty." She looked it over, smiling and glancing up at Rue. "Would you like it?" She climbed back up to the bridge, wringing out her skirt and holding onto the necklace with her free hand.

"Oh.. Um.. Sure?" Rue took the necklace, looking it over before she put it on. The two women smiled at each other, then decided to head back to Fakir's house.

"Thinking about it reasonably, if the story has started up again, wouldn't someone have to turn into Tutu, or something like her?" Rue opened the door, the two women looking at the men, who were both blushing and clearing their throats.

"What's going on guys?" Ahiru smiled, tilting her head curiously as Rue dragged her into the kitchen.

"Let's make some lunch," she said, and the two began to prepare pasta, laughing and giggling while Fakir and Mytho began to set the table. After a bit of time the food was ready and the plates out, so all four took their seats and talked about better things.

"I think we should stay in Kinkan town a bit longer," Rue said, and Mytho nodded. Ahiru and Fakir smiled, Fakir saying they could stay with them in the house.

"Fakir, you don't even have a bed for Ahiru. Where would you put Mytho and I?" Rue perked a brow, frowning as Fakir cleared his throat and mumbled something about finding space.

"We'll rent a place," Mytho finally said, smiling. Ahiru sipped at her water, watching her three friends. What would she do while they were all together? She didn't want to turn back into a duck and not be able to enjoy time with them like this.

As she thought, the other three began to talk about visiting the academy tomorrow and helping with the ballet classes. They'd worry about the story when the class was over and they could go back to the shop in the afternoon.

Rue idly played with the pendant that Ahiru gave her, wondering where it had come from.

2012 A/N: Grammar and sentence updates. Since I wrote these chapters later there isn't much to update except little details.


	7. Chapter 7

Rue and Ahiru talked about Mr. Cat, wondering who the teacher was for the academy now. Fakir talked to Mytho about the shop that they had been to and the weird shop owner who had them dance for her. Mytho shuddered, commenting how unfair it was that they had been forced to dance. Fakir agreed, but admitted that it wasn't so bad, stealing a sidelong glance at the smiling Ahiru, who was holding Mr. Cat's paws and waving them at Rue playfully.

After lunch Fakir and Ahiru began to clean up while Rue and Mytho went to look for a place to stay nearby. The two girls giggled together and said they'd catch up later, then parted, Ahiru waving a lot as Fakir merely smiled. Once they were out of sight, Fakir pulled Ahiru back into the house to help him clean.

"So, what do you want to do about class tomorrow?" Fakir was inviting Ahiru to be his dance partner, but in such a vague way that Ahiru just stared at him, smiling in a confused manner. "I mean, uh, what should we dance?"

Blushing, Ahiru almost dropped the plate she was drying as she realized Fakir wanted to dance with her, then laughed loudly, her nervous laugh, and began to stutter. "Oh, um, I-I think that we should dance to Giselle. I love that dance when she's giving the man the fl-flower.." Ahiru itched lightly at the back of her head and Fakir smiled, finding her to be adorable. He nodded, making a mental note that they should dance to that song. They finished cleaning the kitchen and Fakir set to work on finding a place for Ahiru to stay, not wanting to be improper and suggest that they might share a bed. Although he was a man and wouldn't mind it, he was also a gentleman and acted accordingly. Sort of, anyway. He didn't want to have to find a chaperone for his own house just because Ahiru was there…

Rue and Mytho looked up and down the street for a house that they could stay in temporarily. They were all small houses like the one Fakir and Ahiru lived in, painted in similar shades. Rue looked from place to place, liking the one at the end of the street. Pouting, she looked at Mytho with large, watery eyes. He looked a bit confused, but sighed, a faint smile showing as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh, alright." Chuckling, Mytho went up to the house and knocked. A young woman came to the door and smiled, welcoming the visiting king. After a brief discussion, they shook hands and the woman welcomed the two in. They were given the large attic and told that they could come down for meals at any time, the woman flattered her house had been chosen, apologizing over and over that she didn't have a bigger room for them, but the royal couple wouldn't dream of asking for her and her husband's bedroom. As Rue walked around the attic she ran her fingers over the wood, smiling warmly.

"It's perfect." She smiled at Mytho, and the two stood at the window, holding each other and smiling at the view.

Ahiru walked with Fakir down the road, the young woman giggling softly as she watched all the flowers and trees sway in a gentle breeze. Fakir looked down at Ahiru and smiled, slowly reaching around and resting a hand on her shoulder. Watching her blush, he laughed quietly, quite liking his housemate in such a state. "So, you want to dance to Giselle?" Ahiru nodded as they walked into the furniture store. After Ahiru's long and loud- yet pointless- protest at Fakir purchasing a goose feather bed, they went home, workers at the store bringing the bed with them.

On the way back, Ahiru saw Rue walking hand in hand with Mytho and waved to them, calling out loudly to her friends. They turned and Ahiru skipped off towards them, hugging Rue around one shoulder and Mytho around the other. "I've missed you both so much!"

"But Ahiru, we just saw you a couple hours ago..." Rue giggled, wrapping an arm around her friend's waist and kissing her temple. Mytho also hugged Ahiru, then looked over and saw Fakir.

"Oh, would you like to join us?" He smiled innocently, and when Fakir stiffened and pursed his lips Mytho laughed. "I was only kidding... Come on, let's go back to your house."

Fakir sighed, bringing the three to his house and muttering to himself about why he doesn't like company. It was all good-humored though, for he truly enjoyed his friends and their company. Also, anything that made Ahiru happy was bound to secretly please him as well.

Rue and Ahiru stayed up talking about dancing while Mytho and Fakir went over their plans for tomorrow, which included going to the academy to practice, then looking at the ballet shop as a group. When the clock in the main room struck nine, Rue and Mytho went to their temporary lodgings, leaving Ahiru and Fakir to finish setting up her room. It was in the back, with pink and white sheets, a water pitcher, and an old dresser.

"We'll get you more things for it tomorrow," Fakir promised, giving Ahiru a kiss on the forehead. Blushing, Ahiru nodded, looking completely embarrassed, but unable to hide the huge grin on her face.

Ahiru got changed into her night gown, undoing her braid and letting her hair fall down to her hips. She took a long while to brush it out, but once she finished she tied it back again. Glancing at the lavender tipped kitten who came into her room, Ahiru scooped it up and brought it to bed with her. "Oh, hello Rosa," she said softly, hugging the fluffy creature close. It let out a soft mewling sound, cuddling up to the pink haired girl.

Fakir got ready for bed, taking out a long night shirt and putting it on before he ran his fingers through his hair. Mr. Cat was on his bed, stretched out and sleeping soundly. Mrs. Cat was curled up with the rest of the family, minus Rosa. Fakir climbed into bed, wondering just what sort of enemy could be about to rear its head, hoping he was just being paranoid, but having a gut feeling he wasn't wrong about Drosselmeyer.

Rue changed into a long night dress and let Mytho brush her hair. As he slid the brush through her locks, Mytho placed soft kisses to her curls, murmuring his love for her. Blushing, Rue touched lightly at Mytho's hand, and once he had finished brushing her hair, they sat for a long moment together, simply enjoying their company. "Ne, Mytho, don't you want a child?"

Mytho began to blush, tensing slightly. "Of course I do Rue, but... We have plenty of time for that." Rue smiled, although it looked a little sad, sighing as she leaned against him. Mytho held her close, heart pounding. He wanted to be with Rue in every way, but he was so embarrassed and shy, he didn't know if he could bring himself to do something like that yet. The two went to sleep after a while, Rue dreaming of a family, Mytho dreaming of being with Rue forever.

In the morning Ahiru woke up with a start, thinking she was late. She stumbled through the dark for a candle and matches, lighting the stick and holding the flame to the wick. She looked through her clothes and found a pink dress that came down to her knees, fabric flowing with every step she took. It synched at the waist, a dark pink sash tied into a bow separating the top of the dress from the bottom. Buttons went from a high collar to the middle of her torso, sleeves ending with cuffs at her wrists. The shoes she grabbed were soft leather boots dyed the shade of a pink rose which ended at her calves. Finding a mirror, Ahiru did her hair up into two pony tails on either side of her head, braiding the remains and twisting them into buns, tying them off again once they met the first part.

"You're up awfully early," Fakir said softly, standing at Ahiru's doorway. He was dressed in a formal shirt and tight black pants, his hair tied at the nape of his neck. Chuckling, he took Ahiru's hand and pulled her close. "You look beautiful."

Ahiru blushed, shaking her head. She swallowed, stiffening as Fakir placed two roses into her hair, one in each bun that her hair was twisted into. "Thank you Fakir," she said softly, kissing his cheek. Both blushing, they went out to meet up with Mytho and Rue, walking close to one another, their fingers often brushing against each other's.

They ran into Mytho and Rue standing at a street corner, Rue's hair tied up on top of her head, wearing a knee length sleeveless navy blue dress, the pendant Ahiru had given her around her neck. Mytho was wearing white pants and a matching shirt, looking up at the sky and watching a bird fly by. "Oh, Ahiru." Mytho smiled, and the pink haired girl waved at them, oohing and aahing over Rue's beautiful dress. The four of them walked onto the academy grounds, young students staring. All of them had heard of Rue, Mytho, and Fakir, but none of them knew who the pretty pink haired girl was with them. Suddenly, Pike and Lilie came out of nowhere and grabbed Ahiru.

"See you at class," Pike called, Lilie giggling all the way to the building. Rue stared after them, sighing and mumbling about how those two never changed. She did feel a small pang of jealousy, wishing she could just grab Ahiru and run off so carefree like they did.

In the changing room, Pike and Lilie examined Ahiru as they forced her to get dressed, changing her into a leotard. Once they were done, Ahiru stood up straight and her friends whistled. Ahiru's body had developed finally, revealing gentle womanly curves. She blushed as Lilie poked at her hips and bust, then swatted their hands away, trying to keep them from randomly grabbing her or pinching her body.

Ahiru went into the practice room with Lilie and Pike, then went to the bar to warm up. As they did, the rest of the class came in. Fakir, Mytho, and Rue came last, all dressed for practice. Rue wore her favorite red leotard with a small skirt, Fakir in a black one piece that ended at his forearms, a navy shirt hanging over his torso. Mytho had on a similar outfit, except his shirt was white. The three stood off to one side, watching the class as they warmed up. Finally, the teacher walked in. He was tall and lanky, with long ash colored hair and dark violet eyes. He didn't seem too nice, thin lips pursed as he stood with crossed arms. Ahiru went over to her friends, hiding behind the three of them and seeming to tremble. Rue laid a hand on her shoulder as Fakir introduced them all properly.

"Then dance," the instructor said, frowning at Ahiru and watching her closely. Ahiru let out a sound, but smiled timidly when Fakir gave her a reassuring smile.

Fakir and Mytho took the hands of their partners, twirling them into the center of the area that they called a stage. Ahiru looked nervous, but as Fakir slid a hand under her thigh and along her stomach, picking her up and holding her above his head, she began to relax and feel the music pull her body into dance. Ahiru felt her heart pound in her chest as she danced a pas de deux with Fakir, twirling her about and holding her close. A collection of oohs came up from the crowd as Fakir dropped Ahiru, an arm wrapping around her waist and holding her a few inches above the ground.

As Fakir and Ahiru danced, Rue and Mytho practiced some complicated maneuvers, one involving Rue to balance on her toes as Mytho held her with one hand. The class gasped as Rue then leaped from Mytho's hand, his arms wrapping around her form and pulling her close as she landed, mouths nearly touching.

The two pairs finished by switching partners, Mytho and Fakir throwing Rue and Ahiru up into the air, The girls spun, grasping the hands of one another and spinning twice before letting go, returning to their original partners.

The class applauded, and the four of them standing and breathing quickly. The teacher stared at Ahiru, a slow smirk forming. Fakir saw his look and frowned, wrapping an arm protectively around her, glaring at the man. Rue and Mytho saw Fakir's reactions and smiled, thanking the class for allowing them to perform, but they had to go. Rue grabbed Ahiru as Mytho pushed Fakir towards the door, the two of them laughing softly and waving as they forced their friends to leave.

"I think he's part of the story," Fakir said softly once they had left the room. Rue frowned, feeling a familiar pounding in her heart. It scared her, but she noticed it seemed different than before, warmer and more inviting.

Ahiru looked at Rue and watched as something odd happened. Rue closed her eyes and clenched the pendant that she wore, letting out a breath. Water seemed to cover her form and solidify into a light blue tutu, diamonds glittering around the hem. The pendant turned into a choker, the egg centered on her throat, white wings wrapping around the pale white column and overlapping in the middle of her hairline. Her hair had pulled itself up into a bun, a white crown poking out of it. White ballet shoes encased her feet, and matching make up adorned her eyelids, eyelashes, and mouth.

"Rue... What..."

"I am the Princess of Hope," Rue said, smiling faintly as she bowed. "And inside there is a drop of chaos invading that teacher." Turning, Rue walked back into the room, leaving Mytho, Fakir, and Ahiru to stare.

2012 A/N: Hooray for minor updates. Grammar, sentences, etc. I still want to draw the four of them together in their outfits…


	8. Chapter 8

Ahiru watched Rue go into the classroom, a confused frown on her face. Rue was the Princess of Hope? Why? Rue had been Princess Kraehe when Ahiru was Princess Tutu, so did that mean... Ahiru would become the evil princess this time? With a paling face Ahiru took a step back, the thoughts that suddenly overwhelmed her causing her to have serious doubts about many things. Fakir looked at Ahiru and reached out to hold her, but as soon as his fingers brushed her clothes, Ahiru bolted like a frightened doe.

Fakir and Mytho watched as Rue danced around the classroom, lulling the students to sleep before she turned to the teacher to dance with him. Rue looked like a sparkling snowflake, innocently playing with the teacher as he tried to resist. They were fascinated with her dancing for a moment and both looked as if they might fall asleep, but when they were starting to close their eyes Rue pulled a black gem from the teacher's heart and held it gently in her hands. She walked back to Mytho and Fakir and sighed, holding it out to them, looking disappointed that it had been there.

Fakir took it and looked it over, frowning as he did so. "This is very odd looking... But I have no doubt that the woman at the clothing store is behind this." He nodded slowly as he said this, looking up at Mytho with his normal, serious expression. Mytho looked a bit worried but nodded as well, swallowing as the three looked around to see if Ahiru was near.

"She looked a bit scared," Mytho said quietly as they walked out of the school together. Fakir looked worried and was fidgeting a bit. He held onto the gem and had put it in his pocket, intending to get a small pouch to collect them in. He would have given it to either Mytho or Rue, except that there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind about the last time a story had come about, they had both turned into the bad people. Of course, Fakir thought, I had started out as a bad person...

Ahiru ran for a long time, until she couldn't get anywhere else on her slender legs. She found herself at the lake where Fakir had come upon her as a duck and had cried in front of her. Her knees finally gave out under a tree and she rested her head on her knees, thinking very hard and trying to not cry. It took a lot of concentration to not cry, but her cheeks turned red and her eyes watered considerably. Finally Ahiru calmed down, but she stayed under that tree for an hour or two and just thought about everything she had gone through and how much she really missed being Princess Tutu.

After all that had happened to her, Ahiru had thought that if there was ever a need for saving, she'd be the one to do it. She had always been the one to help, the princess of light, there to restore the hearts of those who had lost their feelings, been misguided… She couldn't become a bad person, she wouldn't let it happen! She… Groaning, Ahiru stared at the lake, letting a couple tears fall, and then more dripped down. She cried for a while, silently staring at the blurry lake, wishing that she wouldn't have to be brave anymore. It was terrifying, being brave.

Sighing, she knew that she couldn't stay out forever, avoiding her friends. Slowly Ahiru stood and walked back towards her home with Fakir, wondering if he'd be disappointed that she had not been the one to turn into the heroine. She could imagine him scolding her and telling her to get out. Shaking her head quickly, Ahiru remembered Fakir was sweet and gentle, he would never do that to her. Smiling a bit, she walked home and opened the door slowly.

Surprisingly, it was not Fakir who greeted Ahiru, but Rue, who had almost launched herself at the girl when she stepped through the frame.

"Oh Ahiru, I was so worried! I didn't know what to do and I wanted to ask you but I suddenly started dancing and then when I was done you weren't there and Mytho said you had run off!" Rue was almost bawling at Ahiru, who looked so stunned she could do nothing but pat the woman on her head and stand there, flabbergasted.

"I-it's alright Rue, everything is fine." Ahiru smiled and petted Rue gently, leading her to the living room and then couch, stroking her dark chestnut colored hair and smiling softly. She realized then that she didn't mind if Rue was the Princess of Hope, she was just going to have to be the one to keep Rue calm when she came home.

Fakir came out and smiled as he watched Ahiru and Rue on the couch together. He sighed, going to tell Mytho that Ahiru was back. Mytho looked relieved, joining Fakir in watching the young women. When Ahiru and Rue finally decided they were hungry, Fakir and Mytho had already prepared dinner for them. Starving, they ate quickly and together, talking about Rue and her new role in the story. Many subjects were offered and spun around, but the four came up with a theory.

"There is someone writing a story who must be descended from Drosselmeyer and wants to keep his image alive, and wrote a story about a princess of hope and chaos seeds. But... I'm not sure why..." Fakir already had an idea as to who it was that was doing it, and intended to visit the person once Ahiru had gone to sleep.

Rue and Mytho agreed, but they had to go to sleep. Fakir and Ahiru walked them to the door and they left, waving until they walked the little way to their rented house. Once the royal couple went inside, Fakir looked up at the night sky and smiled at Ahiru, offering his hand. Ahiru took it, and slowly they made their way down the street together, walking silently and simply enjoying their time together. Fakir laced his fingers with Ahiru's, smiling warmly at her when she blushed, but she slowly returned the smile. They made their way around one of the parks and stood on a bridge, admiring the stars and pointing out various constellations. Ahiru let her hair out of its braid and looked up at Fakir. It was his turn to blush as he gazed down at Ahiru, then slowly cupped her cheek in his hand and lowered her head, bestowing a tender and sweet kiss to her lips. They shared the sweet kiss for a few moments until Fakir finally straightened his back, clearing his throat.

"So... Rue is the Princess of Hope," he said finally, resting a hand on Ahiru's.

"Yeah... Who would've seen that one coming?" Ahiru smiled brightly, and Fakir returned the expression with a tender nod, kissing her forehead. Neither made a comment that the other seemed too happy to hear the news.

"Come on, it's getting late. You should sleep." Fakir escorted Ahiru home and they both got ready for bed. Once Ahiru was snoring softly with the cats curled up around her, Fakir looked around in his closet for some old clothes. He found the black shirt and matching pants, then pulled them on, looking for his boots and picking them up. He slowly crept out the front door and laced his boots after tugging them onto his feet, then walked quickly to the academy dorms. He crept into one of the rooms and saw that it was a single room. Fakir walked to the bed and grabbed the sleeping male by his night shirt, tugging him up suddenly.

"Who- Fakir!"

"Autor, you wouldn't happen to be writing stories, would you?"

Looking alarmed, Autor shook his head quickly. Fakir let him go slowly, then walked around the room, searching everywhere he could think of for a story. When he found none, he looked a bit annoyed. "What's wrong, Fakir?" Autor had stood and pulled his glasses on, walking over to Fakir. "Has another story started?"

Fakir said nothing, only looked at Autor with a glare. Autor took a step back, but frowned and watched his very distant relative. The two stood silently for a long minute, glaring at each other before Fakir said, "If you notice anything odd, let me know." With that, Fakir left to go home, leaving Autor to watch him before going back to sleep, half thinking it had all been a dream.

Fakir walked slowly home, frowning and watching his feet with a thoughtful expression on his face. If Autor wasn't the one who had been writing the story now, then who was it? Fakir reached the house and removed his boots before entering, going to his bed to sleep, sighing as he tossed and turned all night.

Rue and Mytho were at the door as soon as the sun came up, so Ahiru took Rue upstairs to try on dresses and clothes while Mytho and Fakir stayed downstairs, planning what they should do for the day. Finally the girls came downstairs to see what they were doing today.

Rue had allowed Ahiru to tie her hair up into a bun, wrapping a dark red ribbon around the bun and tying it tightly, giving her a red skirt and white blouse, and soft red shoes for her feet. Ahiru had let Rue force her into a low cut pink dress with a white sash, matching shoes on her feet and her hair allowed to fall freely down her back. Fakir and Mytho stood up, smiling and taking the hands of their partners.

"Why don't we go shopping, and then for a picnic," Mytho said after a moment, watching the three nod in response. They set off together, talking about nothing in particular. Ahiru and Mytho talked about Mr. Cat and his family while Rue and Fakir compared strategies for running a good kingdom. The four looked like normal, everyday friends. It wasn't very obvious that two of them were royalty, one was a duck, and the last had enough power in his quill to end the world.

2012 A/N: Just more grammar updates and such. Nothing quite as entertaining as updating grammar!


	9. Chapter 9

Ahiru and Fakir walked into the marketplace, looking for the shop that the peculiar woman who looked like Edel worked in. Much to their surprise, the shop wasn't open when they got there. The windows were dark, the mannequins empty, and a "CLOSED" sign hung on the door. After the four mused that she had either left or was working on renovations, they picked up things for a picnic, seeming a bit lost in conversation about Rue's new pendant and what it did.

They found themselves by a small secluded pond and spread out a large checkered blanket, setting plates, glasses, and silverware on it before food was shuffled around in a circle. They ate and talked, Rue and Ahiru focusing on Pike and Lilie, Mytho and Fakir debating the proper use of a public library, Mytho taking the side of education, Fakir going with torture chamber. It was an enjoyable time, overall.

On the way home, the four saw a woman shrieking at the top of her lungs about monsters stealing their children away at night. Ahiru stayed back with the group, who watched from a distance, all wondering what to do about it. Rue tried to become the Princess of Hope, but nothing happened.

"She must not be part of the story," she said, but sounded unconvinced. Ahiru kept watching her, wishing there was some way to stop her from her shrieking. While she was thinking about it, Rue turned to look at her. A soft glow seemed to surround her friend and it slowly grew brighter and harder to look at. When the light faded, Ahiru stood tall, with kind and gentle eyes, a golden colored tutu hanging off her form, the skirt not stiffened and sticking out, but gauzy, flowing down to her knees, moving constantly. Below the outfit were pale yellow leggings, gold colored toe shoes, and a matching thin length of chord around her waist that fell to one hip. Her hair had tied itself up onto the top of her head and flowed down in wispy lengths, a tiara holding it up. Around her neck was an egg similar to Rue's, but it was rainbow colored and held with a small choker of stars that encased it, then slowly tapered out until it reached the back of her neck. Everyone looked confused as Ahiru said in a soft voice that calmed them all, "I am the Princess of Dreams."

Everyone stared at the Princess of Dreams as she seemed to float towards the shrieking woman. Those around the hysteric woman turned to look at the new dancer, shimmering dust seeming to fall from her body with every step she took. Forever staying en pointe, she moved slowly towards the shrieking female. In her calm tone, she spoke to the chaotic person. "Calm yourself, destructive force." Curtseying, the Princess began to dance around the woman, pulling her into it after a minute. They danced gracefully as the shrieker tried to fight the Princess of Dreams. It didn't work in the end, and as she jumped over the woman, sparkling dust fell over her and her eyes drooped, slowly falling shut. A small ruby red seed fell from her form and Ahiru picked it up, going back to her friends as the outfit she had been wearing melted back into what she had on previously.

"Two princesses?" Mytho looked confused as Fakir tried to make sense out of it. Rue stared at Ahiru, who actually looked relieved.

"Come on, let's go home..." Fakir still looked confused as Ahiru gave him the seed. The four took to the living room and settled down, Ahiru and Fakir on a couch, Rue and Mytho on chairs. Fakir took out the seed of chaos and the seed of destruction. Comparing them to each other, the pure blackness of chaos and the crimson of the destruction, he sighed. "I just don't get it," he finally said. Frowning, he muttered about going upstairs to do some thinking.

Ahiru stared at Fakir as he left, looking a bit sad. Rue gazed at Mytho, who shifted and went to see what Fakir was doing. Ahiru looked at her knees, then toyed with the pendant that was left around her neck after she had gone back to her original clothes. The egg shaped pendant was on a gold chain, two stars on top of it where each part of the chain began. Rue wrapped her arms around Ahiru and they sat silently for a few minutes, thinking.

"It'll be alright. Fakir is just worried that you'll..." Rue couldn't continue anymore though, because she felt the same as Fakir did. Neither of them wanted the happy and wonderful Ahiru to turn back into a duck and leave them. Swallowing, Ahiru reached up and hugged Rue in return.

"I don't want to turn into a duck again either..." Tears welled up in her eyes and Rue held onto her tightly. They knew that if they found all the seeds of chaos and destruction that something bad would happen. But if they didn't, then people like the dance teacher and the shrieking woman would continue to show up.

"There has to be a way for you to stay a human," Rue said softly, stroking Ahiru's hair. "Until then, it looks like we'll both be working to stop the story this time." A small smile appeared on Rue's lips, glad that she had this chance to work with Ahiru. It was awful having to fight her, but together, as the Princesses of Hopes and Dreams...

Upstairs, Fakir stared at the wall, frowning and holding the two seeds in his hands. Mytho sat on the bed, watching Fakir watch the wall. He knew his friend was upset over the story and the thought of losing Ahiru at the end again.

"Fakir..."

"You and Rue should have an heir to the kingdom," Fakir said quietly.

"What?"

"Well, think about it. Something could happen to one of you and then your kingdom won't have an heir. You should... make sure that there's a fail safe." Fakir was still staring at the wall, and Mytho could see that he was about to cry. After a moment he stood, going to his friend's side and hugging him. Instead of fighting, Fakir leaned against Mytho, whispering softly, "What if she goes back to being a duck?"

"That won't happen," Mytho assured him, letting Fakir sit and brood silently.

A couple hours later, Mytho and Rue had to go home. They said good night and left, but it wasn't on a happy note. Both Ahiru and Fakir looked glum, and once the two left, they went inside and sat down to talk. There wasn't a lot of talking though, just silent thinking, hand holding, and leaning against each other as they lost themselves in their thoughts. What if Ahiru was meant to go back into the story? Fakir rested his chin on Ahiru's head and thought about writing a new story to combat the one that was already being created. While he thought of it, he felt Ahiru relaxing, then heard her light breathing. Fakir looked down and saw her sleeping. A smile tugged at his lips as he held her, slowly falling asleep as well.

Rue and Mytho got ready for bed, both silent in their thoughts. Finally Mytho said, "Rue, I... I think it's time we had a child." He was blushing a dark shade and soon Rue was too. Mytho was actually suggesting a child? Rue didn't know what to think!

2012 A/N: Grammar updates! But I must say, I don't really care for this chapter much. It was mostly put here so I could get an idea of Ahiru's outfit, hehe. Oh yeah, and to bring up doubts and responsibilities.


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone stared at the Princess of Dreams as she seemed to float towards the shrieking woman. Those around the hysteric woman turned to look at the dancer, shimmering dust seeming to fall from her body with every step she took. Arms raised to invite the woman to dance, but she stared at the Princess warily. She began to back up, looking one way and then the other, eyes shifting quickly to and fro. The crowd seemed to melt away as the woman took a step, felt the edge of the bridge, a bit crumbling under her heel and she fell backwards, eyes widening, arms outstretched to grab the dancer's hands. However, instead of hands, she grabbed onto air and continued her plummet. In the time it took for her to fall into the water, the Princess of Dreams had swept her leg down, hands falling to her sides in a graceful movement. Under the falling woman a slope of shimmering dust formed, moving, pushing her back up onto the bridge. She looked relieved, as did the ballerina, who now took her hands and led her into a dance. They seemed to float around the bridge, glimmering pieces of dust slowly collecting underneath them. Once there was enough, it solidified and began to wrap around the shrieking woman's hands, pulling her away from the princess. The dance stopped slowly and she held her hands out, a small piece of crimson pulling itself out of the woman's throat. As she turned away, the woman fell asleep and Ahiru turned back into her normal self, clothes disappearing with glitter that got caught in the wind and took to the skies.

"Ahiru!" Rue called her over and the girl gave Fakir the red gem, four people scurrying away from the dazed crowd before any of them could give them unwanted attention. The only place they could go, naturally, was the place where Ahiru and Fakir lived. However, when they got to the door, there was already someone waiting there for them.

"Edel!" Fakir moved to protect his friends, but realized he didn't have anything to do so with except a fierce fighting stance.

"Zura? Oh, um, no, I'm not Edel." The woman laughed, covering her mouth. She looked very much like Edel, but there was something... off about her. She didn't look like a doll. Eyes reflected the light, fingers moved through the air gracefully without any sort of forced movements, and there were no visible joints on her. She was dressed in a knee length dress, long green hair allowed to fall down her back. "I've been told by Mr. Meyer that I look like her though... Better, of course, he said." She showed a sweet smile to the four, hands clasped in front of her before she took a good look at Fakir. "Oh, you've found the different seeds then." Squinting, she seemed to be analyzing him. "Two sorts at least. You're still missing two..." The woman turned to go, starting to hum.

"Uzura, wait!" Ahiru was the one to speak this time, fidgeting slightly. "What... what are you talking about?" She swallowed, holding onto Fakir's arm, feeling reassured when she felt Rue's hand on her shoulder. Uzura turned and looked at Ahiru, seeming to consider her, recognizing her name, then the pendant that she wore now, a lovely rainbow colored egg with a star of light reflecting in it.

"The seeds of chaos and destruction. Those are the two that have been already found by the Princesses of Hope and Dreams... Chaos for Hope, Destruction for Dreams. I wonder what'll happen for the Prince and Knight though..." Uzura let out a giggle, this time walking away, not turning when Rue and Mytho tried to call her back. She disappeared around a corner, leaving the four to stare in her wake.

"...Seeds of chaos and destruction? And there's still more?" Rue glanced at Ahiru, who frowned and looked thoughtful. "And... That means Fakir and Mytho... will also collect them? But what do we do with the seeds?"

Fakir felt the pouch he had found to put the drops in, placing the red seed of destruction in it with the seed of chaos and other destruction droplet. "I don't know. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens." He smiled a little and once again the couples went off on their own paths, Mytho and Rue taking a scenic walk through the park and watching the setting sun.

"Does this mean we'll get to see you and Fakir in tutu's and toe shoes?" Mytho began to blush, looking alarmed. "Hahaha, I'm only kidding Mytho." Rue began to close her eyes and Mytho took his cue, leaning in and giving her a sweet and tender kiss to her mouth, holding onto her upper arms.

As Ahiru played with Mr. Cat's kittens, Fakir sat at his desk, looking over his writings. "Ahiru... Don't you think it's kind of fishy?"

"Mr. Kitten's breath? Yes, quite so, but we give them tuna an awful lot." Ahiru moved the kitten's paws gently, making it dance in the direction of Fakir, who began to blush as he attempted to maintain a serious expression.

"A-Ahiru... um..." Momentarily distracted, he let out a sigh. It could wait until tomorrow. After writing down some notes on a piece of parchment, he moved over to Ahiru and joined her on the couch, stroking her head as he watched her play with the kitten. Ahiru looked delighted, leaning against him, enjoying a quiet night of nothing important going on.

Rue and Mytho returned to their room, their sweet and stolen kisses continuing. "We never did have a proper honeymoon," Rue said softly, watching Mytho blush and clear his throat.

"T-true, very true." He took another kiss from Rue's lips, a hand trailing over her figure. They were both adults, this was normal... He guided her to the bed, pulling her hair back from her neck and giving soft kisses to her white skin, sitting on the edge with her as the night wore on.

In the morning, Ahiru woke up stretched out over Fakir's lap, his hand resting between her shoulders. He had fallen asleep, as had she, the cats curled up wherever they could find room on the couch. Sitting up, Ahiru looked at the clock, surprised that it was almost ten and they hadn't heard from Rue and Mytho. As she tried to move away from Fakir without waking him, but his eyes opened. Blushing, Ahiru began to apologize until she was silenced by Fakir leaning forward, hand moving around her neck and the back of her head, pulling her down for a kiss. They stayed like that for a moment until a voice called out from the bushes under the window, "Way to go Fakir, kiss your woman!"

Pushing away from Fakir, Ahiru went to the window, throwing it open and seeing Pike and Lilie crouched down, hands on the edge of the sill. "...Morning Ahiru!" Pike smiled warmly as Lilie stared up at Ahiru, then away, crying. She stood and bolted, Pike staring after her. "Huh. I think Lilie is so overcome with emotion about how nice you two looked." Pike tilted her head before smiling at Ahiru. "I better go chase after her. It was nice to see you again!" Pike bolted, leaving a cloud of dust after her as Ahiru stared.

"Anything good?" Fakir came to stand behind Ahiru, kissing her temple. Ahiru didn't have words for what just happened though, instead choosing to lean against Fakir and let him wrap his arms around her waist.

A couple hours later, Mytho and Rue came by, holding hands and enjoying brunch with the other two, seeming a lot closer than they had before. Ahiru wasn't trying to stare, but it was hard to not notice, however even harder to pinpoint what had changed.

"Oh, that reminds me." Fakir ran his fingers through his hair, resting his chin in his palm after. "Uzura. Why does she look like she's human? And she mentioned a Mister Meyer, who is that..."

Rue looked contemplative, toying with the necklace she wore, the white gem seeming odd, but matching Ahiru's rainbow colored egg. The wings in Rue's pendant looked odd, mysterious, yet adorable at the same time, the star-like cut in Ahiru's that reflected light making it appear just as unique.

"...Do you think she has something to do with all of this?" She nibbled at a pancake, waiting for the answer.

"Yes," all four said in unison before they laughed together.

"I think we should go back to the shop today," Mytho said, toying with his eggs. "I think there's something there still, maybe in the back."

"Agreed," Rue said. Mytho and Ahiru nodded, both eating their food as the four began discussing the weather and what to wear, one of the cats trying to steal a sausage on a plate.

2012 A/N: So I never noticed, but I guess I took half of one of the last chapters and put it as the beginning for this one. I tend to do that, move documents, take half of them… …Sorry about that… Hooray for me actually checking this though, now I know what was happening!


	11. Side Chapter: Uzura

"Uzura..."

"Edel?"

"No, it's ...Meyer. It's time to wake up, Uzura."

I opened my eyes and looked around. I felt... funny. Looking down at my mechanical hands that were carved with childish specifications, I saw they were not made of wood, but of warm squishy stuff! They were still little, but I sat quietly on a slowly rotating floor, flexing each finger, testing the doughy make of them. Real hands... which meant...

I ran to the nearest wheel that would show my reflection. Staring into it as I rotated, I saw a smudged version of what I must look like; young, large blue eyes, dressed in... nothing? What? I watched as my face turned red, distracted for the moment as blood, real blood, flooded to my cheeks. How had this happened? I began to run around the wheels, going where new ones popped up, the darkness swallowing older wheels. Finally I found a steady floor and stood, looking around. Far off a light showed me a screen with clothes hanging over it. I ran to them, taking the dress and pulling it on, then the shoes, and I saw a proper mirror. Slowly this time I walked to it, staring myself deep in the eyes before looking at the rest of me.

Human, all of me! Proper eyes that reflected light, a working mouth, limbs I could move just like any other girl's! But wait, was I always so conscious of everything? I remembered being Uzura, but memories of this supposed Edel seemed to float in and out of my mind as well. Edel... I was told she was an amazing person. I only appeared to be a few years old, maybe seven at the most? In the mirror I spotted another light that turned on and turned towards it, going to it. A fireplace, a chair, a stool... It seemed welcoming. I sat on the stool and stared at the fire, not even noticing when someone sat in the chair.

"Welcome home, Uzura."

I jumped and let out such a shriek, I thought I'd make myself deaf! The man didn't seem to mind too much though, he just laughed and tried cleaning out his ear. "Ah, how good it must be to be young. And young you are, but not for long."

"Wh.. what do you mean? Who are you?"

"I am Mister Meyer. You are Uzura, the... third reincarnation of my doll." Mister Meyer looked a little frightening. Huge, scary eyes bored into mine, a long red cape covering most of his form, white hair sticking up in random places under a hat.

"But I'm not a doll!" I stared at him, then moved my hands to prove it.

"Admittedly, no, you are a human. When this life is over it will be up to you to gain a soul."

"Soul? What's a soul?"

"A soul is your essence. With it, you can live again and again. But you are a doll, only a shadow of a life blown into you. Even now, you are moving because of Uzura's and Edel's memories and wishes. You must obtain a soul to be reborn, to see your friends again." Mister Meyer let out a soft sound, as if thinking.

"How... how do I get a soul?" I didn't know I had friends, but some part of me must have, for I felt the desire to gain a soul more than anything else in the world.

Meyer smiled and I swallowed, watching with large, innocent, curious, and dreadful eyes. So many conflicting feelings...

"In a year, four people will come together and obtain seeds. These seeds, when enough are gathered, can be... traded... for a soul. There are seeds of chaos, destruction, love, and faith. All are important for a soul, for they are two sides of the same coin." Meyer took out a pipe and began to puff clouds of smoke from it. "When they get the seeds, it will be your task to obtain them for yourself from them. You can trade them trinkets if you wish. Ten seeds each will be more than enough, I wager." Meyer sucked on his pipe, blowing smoke up into the darkness.

"Who... who do you know that would trade the seeds for a soul?" I fidgeted, swallowing.

"Oh... just a guy." Meyer smiled and I looked a bit nervous. Still, the offer...

I spent the next year growing extremely quickly. Soon I was not seven, but twenty four, with green hair that I kept long and loose, wearing knee length dresses and smiling. Mister Meyer took care of me, provided for me, and even told me how to open a shop to meet the people who would be able to help me! He gave me things to trade for the seeds with, things for each of the four people. In a large suitcase I had everything I owned, and after saying good-bye to Meyer, I left for the world above, full of light and laughter, people and souls. Soon, soon I would get one too!

2012 A/N: I love Uzura, she's so cute! Grammar updates, etc.


	12. Chapter 12

After brunch Ahiru, Rue, Fakir, and Mytho went back to the marketplace to look at Uzura's shop. It was still closed, but Fakir did a bit of work on the handle and opened the shop, letting the other three in before he followed, closing the door. Rue took a lantern and lit it, showing that the shop looked dusty and unclean, as if it had been vacant for a long time.

"How suspicious," Mytho muttered, walking next to Rue and helping her to the back. There was a white curtain separating the front of the store from the back which Ahiru pulled back, taking a peek inside.

Behind the curtain was a beautifully set table with a lace cloth covering it and a glass box. Inside of it four items seemed to be waiting for them; a golden wand, a white bow made to look like swan wings, a crimson colored sword, and a silver shield with a crown on it. Ahiru was nearly drooling over the delicate looking wand while Rue stared longingly at the feminine bow that seemed to have been carved just for her. Fakir frowned and looked at the sword while Mytho wondered if he could even lift the shield that was calling to him.

"Pretty, aren't they?"

Behind the table Uzura smiled at them sweetly, head tilted to the side slightly. "I don't think it's right that the four of you broke into my shop, but I suppose there was no harm done. I can tell each of you wants one of these items, am I right?"

Ahiru was the first to nod, then slowly Rue did as well. Fakir and Mytho looked a bit sheepish, but nodded after a while. Ahiru was the first to speak. "They're so pretty Uzura, what are they for?"

"Why, you four of course."

Ahiru perked up, but Rue and Fakir looked a bit suspicious. Mytho stood there, staring at the shield. He cleared his throat before asking, "And what do you want in return for them?"

"Clever Prince. It is true these come for a price. Each of you may trade ten seeds for one of these items. They must be ten of your own seeds though. Rue, you already know you must obtain the seeds of chaos, and Ahiru, you are destined to find the seeds of destruction. Mytho, Fakir, I will leave you two to decide what your seeds are. These might help though."

Uzura offered two pendants to Fakir and Mytho. They looked at each other, then the pieces of jewelry. For Fakir, a red feather suspended by the tip, a red drop of what appeared to be blood where the hollow shaft met with the vanes. Mytho's was a golden crown with a deep blue gem set into the center spike. Sighing, Fakir took his and fastened it around his neck before slipping it under his shirt. Mytho wore his over his clothes, smiling faintly at Fakir. "Too feminine for you, Fakir?"

"Only royalty can wear jewelry and make it a manly thing," he muttered, glaring at Uzura. She was so suspicious, so... he didn't know. He remembered when she was a puppet, built by Charon from Edel's embers. Now what was she? Human? A pawn for Drosselmeyer? Had he figured... ...Drosselmeyer? "Who was it who said you looked like Edel?"

"Oh, Mister Meyer! He takes care of me. Or he used to. I had to leave his house and move here though." Uzura smiled warmly at Fakir, who paled a bit.

"We... have to go," he muttered. Grabbing Ahiru, he pulled her back towards the curtain that separated the front of the store from the back, Rue and Mytho following. Once outside, Fakir let Ahiru's wrist go and looked a bit uncomfortable. "Drosselmeyer somehow has something to do with this."

Ahiru cringed and shrank back a bit, while Rue and Mytho looked worried. "How can Drosselmeyer be involved, he's dead!" Rue had paled the most, her suffering starting from when she was a child.

"I don't know, but somehow Drosselmeyer brought Edel back. But for what reason..." Fakir looked around at the people nearby, seeing a few suspicious looking ones. But not for what he had originally thought. A girl was following a man about, nearly swooning every time he yelled at her for stalking him. "That's not right," Fakir mumbled. He realized Mytho was by his side and the two looked a bit uncomfortable, their thoughts mirroring one another's.

"Are we going to end up in tutu's and ballet shoes?" The thought made the girls giggle until both men were enveloped in light. Fakir's was a deep red that changed his pants and long shirt into black armor, his feather pendant becoming the brooch for his mantle. Mytho's casual clothes changed as well, but into gold and blue dancing clothes, tights on his legs, a long jacket with poofy sleeves, his crown pendant becoming a true crown for him. Fakir and Mytho stared at each other, looking embarrassed and alarmed until the man turned to hit the girl who was following him.

Fakir grabbed the man while Mytho shielded the girl, the small woman crying and saying she only loved him, the man looking as if he was about to bite. Both danced with who they were holding, Mytho's a gentle and kind waltz, Fakir's more rash and dangerous looking. From the girl came a small white seed which Mytho took, the man giving up a pink gem for Fakir to take.

Once the two turned back into their normal clothes, Fakir looked extremely embarrassed and shoved his seed into the bag before snatching Mytho's and doing the same. Ahiru and Rue had been staring the whole time, a light blush on both of their faces. "How cute," Rue muttered. Ahiru nodded, then smiled.

"It looks like we know what we're looking for now!" She danced off from her friends, Rue and Mytho following, but Fakir hung back and went into Uzura's shop again to see her.

"So what are these?" He offered her the stones, which the woman looked closely at.

"Pink for love, white for faith. That means you're the knight of trust and Mytho is the prince of chance. How lucky." Uzura smiled and Fakir continued to stare at her.

"If we trade you these seeds for these items, what will happen to the seeds, and why do we need these items?"

"...I don't know," Uzura said, half lying. Fakir frowned but left, determined to figure it out for himself. He'd find out what Drosselmeyer was up to...

2012 A/N: Ugh, so many mistakes, so many errors… I hope none of you hated me forever because of how badly I wrote these!


	13. Chapter 13

Uzura took the sheet to cover the table with the four objects on it and set it over the top of the case they were resting in, thinking about obtaining a human soul. But then it hit her, if she didn't have a human soul now, how was she able to move around? What was making it possible for her to talk to people, breathe, cry, get angry… It puzzled her, but she put it out of her mind. Everything would be fine so long as those four did their jobs…

In the next coming months the four worked together to gather the seeds they came across. Rue obtained six more seeds of chaos, Ahiru found five seeds of destruction, Mytho took three seeds of faith, and Fakir managed to gain seven new seeds of love.

It was a day when the four were enjoying another picnic, just lazing about, that Fakir finally told them about his thoughts of Droselmeyer using Uzura to bring his stories back. Rue and Mytho were keeping awfully quiet, her form relaxed against his, two sets of hands pressing lightly against her stomach. Ahiru was sitting next to Fakir, their fingers entwined. Fakir had been doing the most work for his seeds, possibly to prove that he could love. After their meal the four went their own ways, all saying they'd meet up later. Rue went to the bridge of riddles and stared into it. The bridge no longer questioned the person who gazed upon the water, but she felt as if it was.

There were some curious things about Rue that Ahiru was starting to notice. She didn't eat much when with them, often left the table to go to the lavatory, and was looking quite ill of late. Mytho always looked embarrassed and muttered it must be allergies if Fakir or Ahiru asked, which only made both of them more suspicious.

Ahiru went back to the lake behind the academy Fakir had brought her to when she was a duck. It was here she felt the most at peace. She stepped into the water and spun around a couple times before taking a seat on the ground, leaving her heels covered in the water as she thought. If she stayed a human this time, could she live with Fakir and go back to studying ballet? What happened if she didn't want to turn back into a duck? What if she did and Fakir found someone else to like? The last thought caused her heart to ache and a tear to roll down her cheek. Yes, she was certain she loved Fakir now, and that might have hurt the most.

Fakir had settled into the library to think about everything. The seeds were all connected to them in some way or form. His seed- love- was probably about Ahiru. He didn't quite understand the other seeds but figured everyone would decide what their seed meant in time. His knightly role of trust… trust what? Ahiru to stay a woman? To stay with Ahiru? He just didn't get it. And what did Drosselmeyer and Uzura have to do with all of this? He felt awful, having thought he was the only one writing the town story. Maybe… someone else was interfering?

Mytho went to the dance hall to practice by himself, trying to lose himself in thought. It was hard to concentrate without Fakir there, Ahiru cleaning, Rue looking for him, Mr. Cat interrupting with his love lessons… Pausing for a moment, Mytho began to laugh. He realized that every day with the other three brought new feelings back to him. His admiration of Tutu, love for Rue, fond feelings and even fear of Fakir… Sighing, Mytho began to dance again until two sets of giggles interrupted him.

"It's Senior Mytho, Senior Mytho~" Lilie poked her head in and smiled broadly at the prince, who laughed and bowed.

"Ladies, how are you today?" Mytho smiled for Ahiru's friends, who slowly entered the room, followed by Jaques and Autor.

"Senior Mytho, you always dance so beautifully." Pike stared at Mytho, pursing her lips. "When will you and Rue come back?"

Mytho smiled, shrugging, and laughed quietly. "I don't know Pike, but soon I hope."

Mytho excused himself, saying he had to go see Rue. When he found her at the bridge of riddles, he sighed, walking up behind her and resting his hands on her hips, nuzzling into her hair. "Finding any answers down there?"

"No, just more questions... Did you have fun dancing?" Rue turned a bit and looked at Mytho, smiling as he blushed. "I can tell when you've been dancing, you know. You always seem happier."

"Rue, when the baby is born, do you think we'll be able to...?"

Rue was very silent as she stared into the running water, a sad expression upon her face. "I don't want to leave my child with a nanny while I run off and dance, and you don't have the ability to run off from ruling the kingdom." For a moment Rue looked much older, much more reserved, thinking about the responsibilities they had as rulers now.

Mytho nodded, but smiled wistfully and said softly, "What if they like dancing as much as we do?"

"There's little chance they won't."

Another month passed. Rue was getting a bit fainter and a lot moodier, but she had gathered all ten seeds that she needed. They all had, as a matter of fact, but each waited until the others gathered their seeds before they went to Uzura. Her shop was still as dusty and unkempt as it had been when they first broke in, but that white cloth was still there and she was sitting at a table sipping tea, waiting patiently.

"You all have ten seeds then?" Fakir took out the bag they had kept them in, looking a bit grim as he laid it on the table in front of her. She opened it, counted the seeds, and put each in their own pile. "Good, good. And have we learned anything from gathering these seeds?"

No one answered, but Uzura didn't mind. She was getting more excited by the minute. Soon she would be human and then she could play with her friends again! She took the sheet off the case with the items in it. She handed the wand to Ahiru, the bow to Rue, the sword to Fakir, and the shield to Mytho. They all took them, felt the raw power that was in each object, and suddenly... stopped.

They stood frozen, as if they had been carved from statues, and Uzura raised both eyebrows, poking each one in turn multiple times. "Ahiru? Rue? Mytho? Fakir?"

None answered and she began to fret. But the room suddenly went cold and dark, fog rolling in slowly, followed by a cloaked man with an hour glass attached to his hip. "Well... done..."

He took the seeds before Uzura noticed he was next to her, then ripped the pendants off each frozen person, laughing dryly. Uzura began to move towards him, but he raised a hand and she stopped. "These... were never... for you..."

Uzura collapsed, the man left, and everything started moving again. Each person let out a gasp of pain, felt their neck, and noticed their necklace was gone. Fakir was the first to move, seeing that Uzura was once more a wooden puppet, a groan welling up from within him.

"Drosselmeyer," he muttered, clenching his hand into a fist, but noticing that the sword he had been given was still there.

2012 A/N: Grammar updates!


	14. Chapter 14

When Uzura woke, she saw Fakir standing over her, looking confused. She opened her mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was the clacking sound of wood. Slapping her hands to her mouth, Uzura realized that she was once again a doll. She wanted to cry, her eyes stung with the desire, but nothing came from her painted on circles. Instead she trembled, trying to breathe, but realized that with each passing moment, she could do less and less. She had to talk, quickly, to help her friends.

"He told me that if I gathered ten seeds of chaos, destruction, love, and faith each, he would make me a human so I could play with my friends and be one of them. He would give me a human soul. I didn't realize… that he was… going to… trick… me…" With her last word, Uzura stopped moving. She was a true puppet now. Ahiru and Rue stood together, Ahiru's face hidden in her friend's shoulder as she wept. She had known Uzura before she was Uzura, when she was Edel, had been given help by the puppet so many times. She of all people wanted Uzura to be human with them so they could all laugh and dance together.

Mytho stood in the corner of the shop looking thoughtful, holding his shield and running his fingers over it. "Could the "he" she is referring to be…?"

"Yes, I think it's Drosselmeyer," Fakir said, sheathing the sword he had in its scabbard and hoisting Uzura up over his shoulder. "Come on, we have work to do."

Fakir trudged home with the other three in tow, his thoughts muddled and confused. He had known Edel for a brief moment before she sacrificed herself for them, housed Uzura when she was a small puppet, and was now carrying her wooden body back to his house again. He cared for her as much as Ahiru did, and wondered why she had to suffer so much for Drosselmeyer. A human soul… Had Drosselmeyer found a way to be brought back to life? The thought terrified Fakir. After opening the door and setting Uzura down on the bed Ahiru slept in, the four gathered at the table with their new items.

"So. We don't have our pendants anymore, but we do have these new items. We don't know if they'll work, but we do know our enemy is most likely Drosselmeyer. We don't know where-"

Fakir was cut off as the house began to shake and screams filled the air outside. Groaning, he grabbed his sword and motioned for the others to follow him. As he was leaving, he saw the Cat family sitting at a windowsill, watching and waiting.

On the streets there was utter chaos. People were running away from the graveyard and the buildings near it, trying to flee, but they couldn't. Rue was the first to run towards the cemetery, bow in hands, slipping past people as if she wasn't even there. Mytho was soon following her, trying to dodge everyone. Ahiru and Fakir went as well, running as quickly as they could through the crowds.

Rue got to the cemetery first and saw what was happening. A man with the seeds they had gathered was slowly dropping them one by one into a grave, which was slowly opening more and more. He was humming to himself as he went, ignoring the destruction that was going on. His withered hands dipped into the small leather bag, dropping a pink seed, then a red, then black, and finally white. Rue jumped onto a headstone and held her bow in front of her, glaring at the man. "Get away from that grave!"

"What can you do… you with no power…" He held up the bag, and dangling off his fingers were the pendants he had taken from the four. "That bow… will never work…"

Rue bit her lip, groaning to herself. He was right, wasn't he… She began to slump where she stood, but she remembered Ahiru, when she had no power, how she had still turned into Princess Tutu. Then Rue could also become the Princess of Hope! Her heart soared with passion as she once more held her bow up. A shimmering silver string formed between the swan wings and she pulled it back, a glittering arrow appearing before her. She pulled the bow taunt, aimed at the hooded man, and released.

Her arrow was knocked aside by a brush of his hand and a gust of wind. "Pathetic…" he muttered, going back to his work. "That bow… cannot… harm me…"

As he coughed, he raised his hand, sending a storm of wind at Rue. Mytho, who had been running to catch up to Rue, jumped in a leap of faith and threw his shield up. The wind traveled over the shield in a huge arc and harmlessly mixed with the passing breeze. Gasping, Mytho retrieved his shield and glared at the man as well.

"Who are you?" He stood with his shield half in front of him, ready to protect Rue at any cost.

"Just a peddler… a ferryman… a merchant… a ghost… a person…"

Ahiru had come up to the cemetery finally, panting for breath, and took in the scene. The thing she wanted most was to stay human, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to. Seeing the hooded man made her angry, so much so that she barely knew when she raised the golden wand and screamed incoherent words. Vines and roots from the nearby trees rose up from the ground and snapped around the man, who let out a dry, gurgled, choking laugh, pointing at Ahiru before he snapped his fingers. Two tree roots came up from behind her and slammed into her back, their sharp points sticking out of her heart. It was so sudden, Ahiru couldn't even make a sound.

Rue screamed, Mytho lunged for the man, but Fakir saw it unfold completely. He felt the anger that burned inside him towards the man, the love for Ahiru, and the hate that needed to be released. He screamed for the fallen girl, charged at the man, and dragged his sword down, from his left shoulder to his right hip, a shadow over his face as he stared at the corpse.

Or what should have been a corpse. The cloak fell away in tatters, the bag and pendants dropped near the open grave, but goo began to seep from the folds of cloth and joined the seeds that had already fallen into the earth. Fakir began to back up, sword held up high, waiting for what was to come.

2012 A/N: Possibly one of my favorite chapters, but still, grammar and sentence mistakes. Trying to fix them all up!


	15. Chapter 15

Rue was still screaming as she was pulled off the headstone by Mytho. Ahiru had dropped her wand and fell to the ground as the roots and vines lost all their power. Fakir waited for what was going to come out of the grave, his breathing ragged, eyes wide with determination.

Slowly, a hand pressed against the edge of the hole. Groaning sounds came forth, followed by the stench of death. A barely recognizable Drosselmeyer heaved itself up onto the grass and began coughing up black sludge, moaning and trying to stand. His body was clothed in tatters of cloth, pieces of skin dangling and then dropping from his arms and face, his jaw partially dislocated, skin a greyish tint.

"What… have you… done… To me…" Fakir realized that the thing only had part of a soul, so he didn't know what made up the rest of Drosselmeyer. Maybe the goo that was the hooded man was inside him as well. "My… descendant… my stories… ruined… ruined… ruined!"

With an animalistic shriek, Drosselmeyer lumbered onto his feet and lunged for Fakir. The knight hit him with the broad side of his sword, which sent the corpse falling back. Rue had finally stopped shrieking and was watching warily, her face pale and sick looking as she tried to think what Drosselmeyer had become. Mytho stood with his shield, half protecting Rue, half waiting to jump to Fakir's side. When Drosselmeyer lunged for Fakir again, Mytho jumped and hit him in the jaw with his shield, a burst of wind knocking him back once more.

Rue realized she could help and picked up her bow, weeping as she knocked a glimmering arrow and sent it for Drosselmeyer's heart. It stuck in him, but it wasn't enough to defeat him. He stumbled and then began to stagger towards the trio once more. Mytho kept him back with his shield and the wind it created, Rue kept wounding him with her arrows, and Fakir stood there, breathing hard, torn between destroying this monster and checking on Ahiru. Finally it sunk in that if he didn't stop Drosselmeyer, then he couldn't help his fallen love.

Long, quick steps were taken to the man and Fakir tried to get a good solid blow in. He was flailing around however and Mytho was unable to block all the attacks. Slimy nails dragged over Fakir's cheek and the stench of a rotting corpse filled his nose. Shuddering, he took a step back and held in a breath, letting out a shout as he jumped and brought his sword down over Drosselmeyer's head.

There was a sickening crack as the lumbering half-man stumbled, fell backwards, and landed in a heap half in his grave, half out of it. Fakir took the tip of his sword and pushed him in fully, staring for a moment as he fell into total darkness. After making sure the deep abyss was silent, he turned and went for Ahiru, throwing his sword down as he got to her.

"Ahiru," he muttered, looking down at her face. Trembling, he closed her eyes, kissing her forehead. He wished so badly that she would open her eyes and look at him again. Slowly, he leaned down, about to press his mouth to her's.

"Uzura?" Ahiru tried to walk towards the weeping puppet, but began to spin and flounder. She realized she was floating around in a beautiful pink mist, but kept trying to get to the puppet.

"A-Ahiru?" The puppet slowly looked over at the flailing girl and smiled. "Then… are we dead?"

"Dead?" Ahiru finally got close to Uzura and held onto her wooden body. "I don't know. I remember seeing a hooded man, and then… shouting. Screaming. Then nothing. Now this."

"I think we're dead," Uzura said softly, clinging to Ahiru. "I think we're dead and can't go back! But… but I don't have a human soul! Will I stay here forever?"

Ahiru stared at Uzura, who was weeping as much as she could for a puppet, and began to weep as well. "I… I don't know. I'm not a human either, so I will stay here with you! I am nothing but a duck!"

Uzura and Ahiru wept until there were no more tears. Slowly though, their tears had formed into two glowing balls and began to float up towards them. A voice very much like Edel's spoke softly to them.

"Do not weep, my precious gems. Ahiru, you who have sacrificed so much, done more than anyone could ever dream of, have been granted a human's soul. You are welcome to stay as a human as long as you like. Uzura, you are my descendant, and have only one wish; to stay with your friends. You are as pure as any human, but were tricked. You are being granted a soul as well. It is fresh and new, never before touched. Use it well."

As Fakir pulled away from the parting kiss he was giving Ahiru's corpse, she began to cough and sputter, opening her eyes. She took in a deep breath and placed her hands where the roots had stabbed her, but nothing remained. At that moment she began to weep, but she didn't know why. She couldn't remember Edel's voice, seeing the glowing light that would be her soul, or that she had been given a human body.

"Ahiru!" Rue launched herself at the girl and fell on top of her and Fakir. Mytho dropped his shield and joined in the group hug. The four stayed like that for a long time, all thankful that everything had ended well.

As the sun began to rise, the four made their way home. Each held their weapon in their hand and stayed silent, each person wrapped in their own thoughts. Mr. Cat was waiting with his family for their return and mewed happily. As they opened the door, they saw a young woman standing there in a bed sheet, staring at them.

"Uz…ura..?" Ahiru took a step forward and the green haired girl broke out into a laugh. She lunged at Ahiru and knocked her over, going on and on about how thankful she was, how sorry she was, how happy she was, how worried she was…

Sighing, Fakir realized that it was going to be a long day…

Five years later, Ahiru woke up Fakir with a kiss to his temple. He smiled and rolled over, draping an arm around her neck and pulling her in for a proper morning kiss. Squeaking, the woman returned it and giggled, enjoying the affections.

"We're going to be late you know."

"Do we have to go? I really think we should just stay in bed… enjoy the morning sun…"

Ahiru gave his temple a gentle flick and shook her head. "We can't be late for their show."

Fakir slowly sat up and sighed, looking at Ahiru, a glint of gold catching his eye from her finger. A golden band encircled the digit and he smiled, knowing he wore the matching one. "Alright, alright. Have you woken up Rose?"

"She's all set. We're just waiting on you now."

Fakir got dressed and put on his suit, brushed his hair, and shaved his face before going downstairs. Ahiru was sitting with a toddler on her lap, humming softly to the pink haired, green eyed girl. Fakair stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at Ahiru's beautiful features. Her long hair was wavy and allowed to fall down her back freely, her eyes gentle and caring, as a mother's should be, and her long blue dress set off her eyes perfectly.

"Are you ready?"

Ahiru stood, placed Rose in her arms, and walked with Fakir down to the school. On their way they met up with Mytho and Rue and their son Lance. Lance had his father's features and his mother's personality. A year older than Rose, he often patted her on the head and called her "mai Pwinchess."

"Ahiru!"

"Rue!"

"Fakir."

"Mytho."

The men nodded, the women hugged, and the children stared at all of them. They all walked towards the school, talking about the festival. "What dance are you going to do this time?" Ahiru shifted Rose, stroking her hair.

"We were thinking Sleeping Beauty, but we'd need your help…" Rue smiled devilishly, making Ahiru pale.

"Have you seen Uzura yet?"

"I think she's the lead in the advanced class, clever thing… She learns quickly."

"I can't imagine who she got that from.."

"But she has these moments when she flails about in the library."

"Does she still help the wounded animals?"

"I think so…"

And so, the writer, the prince, the duck, and the princess all walked together towards their unplanned, unpredictable, and happy future.

2012 A/N: Ah, finally all the grammar updates are done. I'm thinking of adding a bonus chapter about Rose and Lance. Since I don't have anything to do today I might. Thank you all who read and reviewed this, and for anyone who is re-reading this or is reading it now. I hope you all like it more with some grammatical changes!


	16. Bonus: Lance and Rose

"My Princess…"

"Lance, you tease!"

Lance smiled, kissing the dancer's hand. The young blonde girl blushed a dark shade, smiling up at the Prince. Son of Rue and Mytho, King and Queen of the country, eligible bachelor number one, he was sought after by every available girl. His Godparents, Fakir and Ahiru, lived near Kinkan academy, their daughter Rose attending the school as well. When they were younger, Lance was always fond of Rose, but as they got older, he noticed she became gawky and awkward. So he cut most ties with the pink haired girl and began to womanize. With his long white hair and angular features, his mother's cold personality, and a kingdom to inherit, women threw themselves at him. This week he was flirting with Star, the lead of the advanced training class. Teaching all the students was Uzura, a light green haired woman who had a vast knowledge of gems and was friends with his parents and Godparents.

"Lance, Star, get back to your classes." Uzura's hair fell down to her waist, but she refused to tie it up unless she was dancing. She sighed, shaking her head lightly at the thought of Lance graduating. She remembered when he was young, holding Rose and proclaiming he'd marry her. Uzura covered her mouth, remembering when Lance tried to pick a rose for the girl and got a thorn stuck in his finger. Still, she watched the youth sulk back to the advanced class, seeing a young girl peeking at him from around the corner.

Rose stood, too skinny frame, watching Lance as he went by. She was in love with Lance, as many girls thought they were, but Rose had been in love with him for as long as she could remember. She just wished she was beautiful enough to match his standards. Freckles, mint green eyes, salmon colored hair… She was awkward even by her own standards! Still, she watched Lance from afar, waiting until the day she would grow out of this phase.

"Rose, are you alright?" Uzura felt like an older sister to this girl and went over, ruffling her hair. "He'll mature one day. Just be patient."

Rose pouted but nodded, believing Uzura. She went home to see her parents, finding her mother cooking dinner, her father bent over his desk writing. There were two cats on the couch sleeping, kittens curled up around them.

"Isn't it weird they never grow old?" Rose picked up a lilac point her mother had called Rosa, cuddling the creature close. The kitten mewed happily and snuggled against its best friend, purring constantly.

"Your father says it's magic," Ahiru said, sipping at the soup she was making. "How were lessons?"

"Alright… I just came by for a bit, I have to get back to the dorms." Rose toyed with the ribbon at her neck, undoing it and sighing. Fakir looked up, raising a brow at his daughter. Rose pouted, mumbling softly, "Lance has another girlfriend."

Fakir frowned, looking back down at his story. Ahiru began to set the table, sighing. "He'll grow up one day, Rose. Did Uzura say she was coming over?"

"No, but she probably will." Rose sat at the table, stroking Rosa slowly. Her parents were so in love it was almost sickening, the way they'd shyly look at each other and then away, blushing. No longer teenagers, Fakir had begun to write books and stories, but none of them held the power to change anything. Ahiru became a proper mother, cooking and cleaning, taking care of the house, but they went and taught at the academy sometimes, or participated in the festivals there when they were invited, which was as often as the Kind and Queen were.

Unannounced, Uzura came in and smiled, waving to the family she had lived with until she went to the academy. She had brought wine and they ate together before Uzura went back to her house and Rose went to the dorms. Rose thought about Lance and how he was graduating that year, wondering if he'd get married anytime soon.

Lance was out late with a woman, kissing her hand and then her neck. She giggled, muttering about how sweet he was, and if he'd like to stay with her for a while.

"Ah, I cannot my dear, there are so many women to make happy tonight…" He smiled apologetically, but the woman looked confused, then angry. "My love?"

"You have other women?"

"Of course, I have many." Lance didn't know what the big deal was; every woman knew he had no one true love.

"Liar! You said you loved me, but you were lying!" She pulled away from him, then said something weird, slamming the door in his face. Confused, Lance went to flirt with a few more women before he went home.

As he slept, strange voices troubled his sleep. "When you wake… uglier than sin… Only true love… break the curse… Change of heart…See beneath the surface…"

Lance woke up sweating, panting heavily. He groaned, rubbing at his head. However, he felt no hair there. Shocked, he threw the sheets back and ran to the mirror. Or tried to run, anyway. He tripped over his legs and went sprawling onto the floor, stumbling to the glass. Staring into it, he saw a large frog staring back at him.

"Ah-ah-Aaaah!"

The scream woke up some of the men and they went to see what was causing the fuss. When they saw the frog they picked it up, tossing it out the window before they could hear his desperate plea. In the bushes, the frog sighed and thought about it. What had the voice in his dream said? True love? Curse? He groaned, then remembered. He was a prince! Every girl loved a prince! He hopped to the female dorm and went into the room of the girl he had been flirting with yesterday. She said she loved him!

"Mademoiselle, this is sudden, but you must kiss me to break this curse! If you love me-"

"Ew, a frog!" The girl threw the frog out of her window and locked it. Lance stared at the glass, then went to the next room, giving a surprisingly similar speech.

"Prince Lance? Oh wow, you're a frog! True love's kiss?" She thought about it, then shrugged. "Well, I don't know if I love you, but sure." She kissed the frog, but nothing happened. Lance looked upset and the girl shrugged. "Sorry Prince…"

Lance spent the day sitting in the window of the ballet school, watching them dance. The story had already gotten around and many girls tried to kiss him, only to be rewarded with frog breath. By lunch, no one wanted to be near him. After class, he went to Rose and Uzura, who were talking about Mr. Cat's kittens, and sat before them.

"Rose, might I go to your house tonight? I want to talk to your parents."

Rose looked down at the frog, already knowing it was Lance from the stories, and began to blush. "S-sure." She ran off to get changed, leaving Uzura and Lance alone.

"Lance, you know Rose loves you, right?"

"I know, but she's so…"

"Lance…"

"I'm sorry, Uzu, but I just don't love her. She's so ugly!"

Uzura covered her mouth, not looking at Lance, but past him. Rose stood in her uniform, tears welling up in her eyes, face flushed with shame. She bit her lip, then turned and ran off, embarrassed and humiliated.

"Lance, I've been your friend since the day you were born, but really, that was so cruel." Uzura frowned, turning and walking away from the frog.

"But…"

Lance sat there, quietly thinking about what he had said. Of course he felt bad, Rose was so sweet, how could he do that to her? He didn't hate her, he just didn't love her! But still, he had to see her parents!

Nervous, Lance knocked on the door of Ahiru and Fakir's door. Ahiru answered, looking around for who knocked, then, seeing no one, closed the door in Lance's face. Grumbling, Lance knocked again. This time Fakir answered, looked around, and then stared down at the frog.

"Did you… knock?"

"Fakir, it's me, Lance!" Lance flailed about, looking desperate. And weird. Fakir let him in, watching the frog hop onto a chair and launch right into the story about the woman, the curse, and finally, trembling, what he did to Rose.

Fakir glared at the frog, deathly intentions on his face. Ahiru, not hearing any of it, went to hold Fakir back. But as soon as he said what Lance had done, Ahiru began to glare at the frog, holding a knife from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry!" Lance trembled, covering his head. "I'm so sorry. I don't hate Rose, I really don't!" Lance looked upset and sighed. "It's all my fault and I do deserve this,"

"Duh!"

"Shush Ahiru."

"But I want to make this up to Rose."

"Why, so you can trick her into kissing you?" Ahiru frowned, toying with a strand of hair.

"No. I just want to make it up to her."

Fakir looked thoughtful, then slowly nodded. "Alright… We'll help. I don't know how to get rid of that curse, but we can help with Rose." Fakir and Lance talked long into the night, plotting and planning for the coming days.

In the morning, Rose woke up and yawned, lashes fluttering. She looked up and saw, sitting on her chest, was a frog!

"Lance!"

"Rose, I'm sorry!" Lance covered his face with his hands, a rose grasped tightly between the webbed digits. Rose stared at it, then slowly touched the flower.

"Is this for me?"

"Yes… Rose, won't you let me make it up to you? Spend the day with me."

Rose blushed, nodding after a long minute. "Okay… Just today though."

Lance smiled, hopping off of Rose and onto her dresser. "I'll just, uh, wait outside."

Rose nodded and got ready, tying her pink hair into a long braid. She put on a long skirt and puff-sleeved shirt, placing the rose Lance brought her at the top of her braid. She went out to see the frog waiting for her and smiled, blushing a bit.

"Wow, you look nice Rose." Lance tilted slightly to the side, admiring the girl.

Their date started with a walk in the park, a picnic, gazing at the clouds, walking into town to look at the shops, an early theater show, and finally dinner. Everyone stared at the young woman with a frog next to her, most just smirking and looking away, some giving the girl pitying looks. There were no more people that looked like animals, and no one remembered there ever being any, so to see a human enjoying the theater with a frog, or to see them sharing a meal together was very odd.

Finally someone brought it up.

"Hey girlie, what's with the toad? Got a thing for it?"

Rose blushed, looking mad. "I happen to love this frog."

The man stared at her, then snorted. "What a freak. The toad love you?"

Lance stared at Rose, so determined to defend him, pink in the cheeks, gawky, awkward, and scared, but she hadn't hesitated at all when she said that she loved him. He felt a rush of emotions and stared at the man, frowning. "Of course I love her."

The man's eyes bulged and he stared at the frog in horror. "Freaks! Freaks I tell you!" He ran off, leaving Rose and Lance alone. Rose looked down at the frog and blushed, toying with the tip of her braid.

"You… you love me?"

"Of course I do, Rose. I was a fool not to have seen it earlier. You'd love me even if I was a frog?"

"You're still Lance, you just look different."

Lance hopped up into a small tree, leaning towards Rose. She blushed, closing her eyes and stepping towards the tree. Rose kissed the frog and smiled, blushing a dark shade. Lance ribbited and began to glow, light changing him from a frog back into himself.

"I'm me again!"

"That's great!" Rose sounded happy, but Lance could hear the fakeness in her voice. He reached out, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Rose, you are the woman I love. I won't look at anyone else for as long as I live."

Rose flushed a dark shade, eyes wide. To deal with the nervousness she felt, she made a joke. "Ew, did you just leave frog spit on me?" She grinned, then hugged Lance.

Over dinner a few months later, Rue and Mytho heard the whole story. Rue looked shocked that her son had been a womanizer, and Mytho just looked embarrassed. Uzura nibbled at her food, absently giving Mr. Cat and his family scraps of meat. They were happy for Rose and Lance, but Rue leaned over to Ahiru and whispered, "Is it just me, or have half the people here been animals?"

2012 A/N: Bonus story! I wanted to write about Lance and Rose, but realized a full length story wouldn't do for them. With this, I think I'll be done with the story for real this time. Thank you to everyone whose read it, and I hope you enjoyed this bonus story!


	17. Bonus: Kapitel von die Rabe

Ahiru stared at the ravens around her. Her friends, teachers, classmates… All minions for the raven to use as he saw fit. It hurt, it hurt so much, deep in her heart. And then a thought crawled into her head, forcing its way to the front of her mind. _Wouldn't it just be easier to just let him win?_ She was a duck, there was no point in fighting anymore. She did more than anyone could have expected of her. She would still be a bird, but this might be an improvement. She'd be just like everyone else this time. She'd fit in and maybe, maybe for once she wouldn't be made fun of or questioned. Maybe she could just let go and _be_.

Rue, Mytho, and Fakir all felt it as the small golden duck let her mind be taken and turned into that of a raven's. Mytho turned to see the change happen. Where a golden duck had stood poised and ready to fight, those around her tilted their heads curiously, but without seeming to register that the raven that stood there with a large feather sticking up had been anything but another raven. Mytho felt something change in him. His hope just… died. He fell from his mount of flower petals and plummeted towards the ground. Rue felt her despair take over and wept as she just stopped dancing mid-step. Fakir stopped writing, gasping as pain shot through his heart. It was… Over? Ahiru had just given up?

The Raven wouldn't let the four of them end there though. He made sure that when they weren't paying attention, too distracted by their sudden grief, that they were all turned into intelligent ravens, capable of basic thought, but with locked memories. He called upon his daughter, who had purple markings around his eyes, the writer, a satchel containing quills and books over his shoulder, the prince, wearing a golden crown tilted on his head, and the duck girl, with that huge feather standing up and a braid of feathers trailing down around her knees. The four stood before him, looking at one another in mild curiosity. Soon though, the Raven gave them ideas and memories. The four of them worked as a squad, patrolling the town to make sure that there were no people missed, no raven minions out of line. This was what they had been doing since they were born, it was their specific task. It was all they needed to know; they had no other thoughts.

The Raven woke his special command up earlier than the other ravens. They had a specific task to do and he liked to make sure they met with him on a daily basis at least. He had to tell Ahiru to get up an hour earlier than everyone else to make sure she'd get there on time though. By the time a week was over and Ahiru's clumsiness had managed to stay within her, regardless of her new, sleek form, the Raven wondered how she could have ever thought she could beat him.

He paired them off and sent them on their way in the morning, letting Ahiru and Fakir wander together in the center of the village, Rue and Mytho patrolling around the edges of the town. They could talk to one another and did sometimes, although it wasn't ever about anything important.

"Did you see that person come in? We have to report it."

"I'll do it; you keep an eye on them."

"I'm hungry, want to take lunch?"

For almost a month this went on with none of them growing any wiser. Ahiru sometimes ate with Pike and Lilie, or got weird looks from Cat, but mostly she ate with her own group. The four of them often ate alone by a lake by the edge of town, far away from the dumber ravens. One day Ahiru was flying down alone after Fakir took the latest person who they found wandering in to the Raven. She landed by the lake and sat with a small basket that contained her lunch, settling down under a tree. She stared out at the lake and sighed, feeling peaceful. While she was sitting there, strange things began to happen.

She could've sworn she saw large orange eyes staring at her from a shadow a tree made… And a duck who turned into a girl. Then a weird doll offered her a pendant and they went off together. The duck came back and dropped her pendant… And then mist descended and a strange tune began to play. Ahiru tilted her head, listening. Abandoning her food, she stood and walked onto the lake, surprised she hadn't sunk, but at the same time she was not alarmed. She lifted her wings and began to move slowly, thinking that something was missing… but what?

"Ahiru!"

The raven turned and saw Fakir standing there, his satchel on his shoulder as always. She seemed to smile, blue birds eyes closing before she offered him the tip of her wing and began to move towards him. Fakir moved back, looking a bit annoyed. But he began to look curious too. Behind Ahiru, he saw odd things. A pink haired girl that was always bothering him, but he stayed close to her anyway. They walked together down a path looking for Mytho and Rue. She danced with Mytho, but they looked different… None of them were birds, but Fakir knew that the raven in front of him was Ahiru, and the white haired boy was Mytho. He watched his own battle with ravens and stared as a doll brought him from the lake to a fire before she told him to use her body as kindling. The stab of jealousy as the pink haired girl talked about loving the Prince.

Annoyed, Fakir grabbed Ahirus's wing and the two ravens danced on the lake, memories swirling around them that neither understood. They weren't ravens, they were trying to fight the Raven. The Raven!

Ahiru's eyes opened and she seemed to change. She stopped, staring at Fakir and seeing him, really seeing him. She suddenly remembered what he had once said while they were in the library and she was trying to read a book. "Pandora unleashed all the evils upon the world, but the worst and last she released was Hope, because Man will always have it and it will always doom him."

Hope… That world played around Ahiru's mind. Something about it made her stop and stare at the raven she was standing with. Fakir… Hope… A story… Rue and Mytho…

A light began to form around Ahiru and she stepped back, shuddering. The feathers that covered her body slowly fell from it, revealing the pink haired, blue eyed girl beneath. Fakir jerked back, the raven in him crying out, but the man in him shushing it. This girl… she was hope… She _was_ Hope! As the girl changed into a duck before him, Fakir changed in front of her. His feathers fell away from him and he picked up Ahiru, holding her to his breast.

"Ahiru, what happened?" Fakir could feel it in his heart though; the hope that had once been lost had finally been restored. Across town, Mytho and Rue felt it returning as well. The warmth that Ahiru gave them, the hope she kept stored inside of her was overflowing, deadly, never ending. The two stood, human once more, and walked slowly back towards the town square where their battle had once ended.

Fakir stood, holding Ahiru close, and went to his house. He set her down and nodded, then went inside. He began to write, and Ahiru went to finish the battle she had left, knowing that she and her friends wouldn't be tempted to give up again.

A/N: Another bonus story? YES. I was thinking about Ahiru last night and what if she had lost her hope? Well, first I thought about Pandora and that damnable box, THEN I thought of Ahiru. This was just a quick bonus, not very thoughtful or anything, or any real story, just a kind of… don't give up, even when you lost sort of thing? I'll shut up now. The only reason I'm writing so much is because I have nothing at all to do at the moment and I'm stressed. So I write. Even if it tanks. Which I hope this didn't too badly?


	18. Good-Bye

I shall not be uploading anymore fanfictions. Nothing will be updated and nothing new will be added. Bob69 is a user who took my fanfictions, uploaded them onto his account, and then posted them on their own profile. After reporting them to fanfiction a month ago, they've still got my stories as their's. I am highly offended by this because they obviously stole them, based on when they uploaded them and when I uploaded my stories, but doesn't seem to mind this. I do.

I am sorry for those who follow my stories and like them, but I will not write so someone else can take the credit for what I did. I will not remove my stories, but there will never be another update from me.

Good-bye, and it's been a fun... eight, nine years? I hope you all enjoyed what I did manage to finish and thank you for all your kind reviews you have given me.


	19. Good news! However

The person who has been stealing my stories has been caught. However, looking back on it, I don't really want to write fanfictions anymore. Yes they're fun, and sure they're entertaining, like candy, but I have something else I'm working on. A real, original story with my own characters. I may finish up some stories, but I've been quite wrapped up in my own projects. Thank you to those who support me, have helped me, and read what I've written so far here. When I finish my story I'll be putting it up on Wattpad, see how it does, etc. If you want to find me there and wait for the first draft, look up Faerhlsm on Wattpad.


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